Notes on the notion of Morality in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason

1. Prior to the Critique, people generally took the appearance for the things-in-itself;
2. From the Critique we learn that each thing has two aspects: the appearance and the thing-in-itself;
3. This thing-in-itself is but the substratum of the appearance;
4. This thing-in-itself can never be cognised, and as such questions pertaining to its exact nature cannot be answered;
5. The appearance is “not free” in terms of its being limited by space and time, but in contradistinction to this, the thing-in-itself is “free” since it is beyond the precincts of space and time, and ultimately unknowable;
6. If we identify the appearance with the thing-in-itself we would run the risk of negating freedom.  Because freedom (thing-in-itself) and bondage or limitations (appearance) cannot coexist without any contradiction;
7. Also, if appearances were identified with the thing-in-itself, then there would have been no room left for freedom, and hence morality (since the latter presupposes freedom);
8. Morality, which presupposes freedom, regulates our behavior.  So without freedom there would be no room for regulation.  Without morality there would no such things as right and wrong, moral and immoral, etc. ;
9. Kant establishes freedom through morality.  The argument is as follows: there is no room for morality unless there is freedom.  This freedom has been conceived without contradiction [this non-contradiction is derived from the ‘free’ unbound nature of the thing-in-itself in the necessary dichotomy of the appearance and the thing-in-itself].  However this freedom can never be known, but only thought of in a non-contradictory manner;
10. The non-contradiction with regard to freedom spoken of above comes with the aid of logic.  Logic is compared to the police.  Logic can only remove the contradictions, but it can never help us realise the thing-in-itself.  ‘Think’ is the key-term here.

I am immensely indebted to Dr. Elisa Freschi, without whose generous assistance the writing of these notes would have been impossible.