--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Kant did not explain the origin of these…" description: "\"“Kant did not explain the origin of these judgments but assumed that they were attained by abstraction from the activity of the soul, which structures,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/ulrich-m-ller-19704_kant_kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these_786882.jpg" --- # Kant did not explain the origin of these judgments but… ![“Kant did not explain the origin of these judgments but assumed that they were attained by abstraction from the activity of the soul, which structures, according to eternal laws, its experiences (Kant, 1770/1968, § 8, § 15, corollary).” quote by Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/ulrich-m-ller-19704_kant_kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these_786882.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/ulrich-m-ller-19704_kant_kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these_786882.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/ulrich-m-ller-19704_kant_kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these_786882.jpg) > ““Kant did not explain the origin of these judgments but assumed that they were attained by abstraction from the activity of the soul, which structures, according to eternal laws, its experiences (Kant, 1770/1968, § 8, § 15, corollary).”” [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kant assumes judgments arise from the soul’s activity, structured by eternal laws, without explaining their origin. **In simple terms:** Judgments stem from innate mental structures. Key Takeaway Explore how mental frameworks shape perception. Themes philosophy epistemology mind structure eternal laws Mood analytical critical Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - teaching philosophy - analyzing cognition - debating origins of knowledge Key Concepts Kantianism cognitive architecture abstract reasoning Questions to Reflect On - What innate structures guide our judgments? - Can we identify these eternal laws? A Different Perspective Kant’s claim lacks empirical support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experiences Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences-kant-6052527/) [Judgments Assumed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgments-assumed-6052529/) [Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant/) [Kant 1770](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant-1770-6052528/) [Kant Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant-did-4106124/) ## Related quotes > [Kant did think he had a moral route back to rational faith in God, for those who need it, and he thought that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-did-think-he-had-a-moral-route-back-to-rational-faith-in-god-for/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“But how does it come about that while the ‘I think’ gives Kant a genuine phenomenal starting-point, he cannot exploit it ontologically, and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/but-how-does-it-come-about-that-while-the-i-think-gives-kant-a/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [“Such is Kant’s (1787/1933, B180) “schematism of understanding,” though he candidly confessed that how this occurred was a mystery “in the depths of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/such-is-kant-s-1787-1933-b180-schematism-of-understanding-though-he/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Kant argued that our intuition (i.e., sensibility) and understanding use a priori (i.e., independent of all experience) forms and categories, which are the condition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-argued-that-our-intuition-i-e-sensibility-and-understanding-use/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“in the same sense in which Kant held that the empirical sciences depend on some mental abilities – intuition and categories”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/in-the-same-sense-in-which-kant-held-that-the-empirical-sciences/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“In the preface of his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant (1787/1933, B XVI) refers in the same way to the Copernican Revolution. He points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/in-the-preface-of-his-critique-of-pure-reason-kant-1787-1933-b-xvi/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Kant argued that the mind has both receptive capacities and spontaneous capabilities, both operative in human knowledge. For Kant (1787/1933, B74, B93), knowledge has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-argued-that-the-mind-has-both-receptive-capacities-and/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [My own view is that Kant's conception of the duality of the good (morality and happiness, the good of our person and the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/my-own-view-is-that-kant-s-conception-of-the-duality-of-the-good/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“Kant also identified idle desires with wishing and active desire with willing, and he seemed to think that one of the problems of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manfred-kuehn/kant-also-identified-idle-desires-with-wishing-and-active-desire-with/) [Manfred Kuehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manfred-kuehn/) > [Kant, discussing the various modes of perception by which the human mind apprehends nature, concluded that it is specially prone to see nature through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeans/kant-discussing-the-various-modes-of-perception-by-which-the-human/) [James Jeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jeans/) > [“Modern man, brought up on Kantian idealism, regards nature as being no more than an outcome of the laws of the mind. Losing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-gilson/modern-man-brought-up-on-kantian-idealism-regards-nature-as-being-no/) [Étienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-gilson/) > [ “\[Dostoyevsky\] eloquently proves that heartless ideas are often a source of immorality: they bring with them destructiveness, hatred, cynicism, and misanthropy. The novelist also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-l-kline/dostoyevsky-eloquently-proves-that-heartless-ideas-are-often-a-source/) [George L. Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-l-kline/) > [Kantian ethical theory distinguishes three levels: First, that of a fundamental principle (the categorical imperative, formulated in three main ways in Kant's Groundwork); second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kantian-ethical-theory-distinguishes-three-levels-first-that-of-a/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“Against Hume, Kant has found a more proper ground for humility: “True humility follows unavoidably from our sincere and exact comparison of ourselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-grenberg/against-hume-kant-has-found-a-more-proper-ground-for-humility-true/) [Jeanine Grenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-grenberg/) > [“Immanuel Kant" "Noch wal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-claus/immanuel-kant-noch-wal/) [Hugo Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-claus/) ## More by Ulrich Müller > [“Because psychologists generally take knowledge as unproblematic, the complexity of Piagetian theory seems simply superfluous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/because-psychologists-generally-take-knowledge-as-unproblematic-the/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“the main problem of any epistemology is in fact to understand how the mind succeeds in constructing necessary relationships, which appear to be independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/the-main-problem-of-any-epistemology-is-in-fact-to-understand-how-the/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Empiricism is not just an empirical method but also a theory of experience. Essentially, it conceives of human beings as passive and sense perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/empiricism-is-not-just-an-empirical-method-but-also-a-theory-of/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“According to Piaget, the central idea of empiricism is that “the function of cognitive mechanisms is to submit to reality, copying its features as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/according-to-piaget-the-central-idea-of-empiricism-is-that-the/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Piaget (1961/1966, pp. 152–153) made the same commitments as Kant: Normative properties are required for knowing reality, and so, following Kant, such properties are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-1961-1966-pp-152-153-made-the-same-commitments-as-kant/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Social contexts provide ubiquitous cases of the same point: If one bottle of beer costs £1, six individual bottles may cost £6, whereas a six-pack costs £5.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/social-contexts-provide-ubiquitous-cases-of-the-same-point-if-one/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Kant argued that the mind has both receptive capacities and spontaneous capabilities, both operative in human knowledge. 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Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 17, 471–486.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/jackson-i-1987-on-situating-piaget-s-subject-a-triangulation-based-on/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“From an epistemological perspective, a person is a uniform being who interprets the different parts of her conscious knowledge in a coherent fashion (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/from-an-epistemological-perspective-a-person-is-a-uniform-being-who/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“As a biologist, Piaget considered cognitive development to be part of a much more general tendency of living systems to grow, change, improve and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/as-a-biologist-piaget-considered-cognitive-development-to-be-part-of/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“It is important to recall at the outset that by a cognitive equilibrium (which is analogous to the stability of a living organism) we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/it-is-important-to-recall-at-the-outset-that-by-a-cognitive/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“An excellent overview of the development of Piaget's theory is provided by Chapman (1988) and more specifically about equilibration in a paper from 1992 (Chapman, 1992).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/an-excellent-overview-of-the-development-of-piaget-s-theory-is/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“the relevance of epistemology for the study of psychology and psychological development is that epistemological assumptions often remain tacit. Practically, this amounts to many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/the-relevance-of-epistemology-for-the-study-of-psychology-and/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“In the preface of his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant (1787/1933, B XVI) refers in the same way to the Copernican Revolution. He points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/in-the-preface-of-his-critique-of-pure-reason-kant-1787-1933-b-xvi/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Unlike Kant, for whom normative categories are a priori and fully formed in their use, for Piaget any framework has a formation in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/unlike-kant-for-whom-normative-categories-are-a-priori-and-fully/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) [Explore all 32 Ulrich Müller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) ## More Kant quotes > [“Immanuel Kant" "Noch wal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-claus/immanuel-kant-noch-wal/) [Hugo Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-claus/) > [“Against Hume, Kant has found a more proper ground for humility: “True humility follows unavoidably from our sincere and exact comparison of ourselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-grenberg/against-hume-kant-has-found-a-more-proper-ground-for-humility-true/) [Jeanine Grenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-grenberg/) > [Kantian ethical theory distinguishes three levels: First, that of a fundamental principle (the categorical imperative, formulated in three main ways in Kant's Groundwork); second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kantian-ethical-theory-distinguishes-three-levels-first-that-of-a/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [ “\[Dostoyevsky\] eloquently proves that heartless ideas are often a source of immorality: they bring with them destructiveness, hatred, cynicism, and misanthropy. The novelist also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-l-kline/dostoyevsky-eloquently-proves-that-heartless-ideas-are-often-a-source/) [George L. Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-l-kline/) > [“Modern man, brought up on Kantian idealism, regards nature as being no more than an outcome of the laws of the mind. Losing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-gilson/modern-man-brought-up-on-kantian-idealism-regards-nature-as-being-no/) [Étienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-gilson/) > [Kant, discussing the various modes of perception by which the human mind apprehends nature, concluded that it is specially prone to see nature through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeans/kant-discussing-the-various-modes-of-perception-by-which-the-human/) [James Jeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jeans/) > [“Kant also identified idle desires with wishing and active desire with willing, and he seemed to think that one of the problems of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manfred-kuehn/kant-also-identified-idle-desires-with-wishing-and-active-desire-with/) [Manfred Kuehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manfred-kuehn/) > [My own view is that Kant's conception of the duality of the good (morality and happiness, the good of our person and the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/my-own-view-is-that-kant-s-conception-of-the-duality-of-the-good/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [I use music as something from which I obtain some form of - I hate to use the word spiritual - guidance, an awareness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meale/i-use-music-as-something-from-which-i-obtain-some-form-of-i-hate-to/) [Richard Meale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meale/) > [“Socrates could enjoy a banquet now and again, and must have derived considerable satisfaction from his conversations while the hemlock was taking effect, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/socrates-could-enjoy-a-banquet-now-and-again-and-must-have-derived/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Ik vraag me af wanneer alles verkeerd begon te lopen en of het misschien al vanaf het begin de verkeerde kant op is gegaan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-wells/ik-vraag-me-af-wanneer-alles-verkeerd-begon-te-lopen-en-of-het/) [Benedict Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-wells/) > [I don't think Kant's theory looks bad to people except insofar as they have misunderstood it (for instance, as heartless and ironheaded, or as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/i-don-t-think-kant-s-theory-looks-bad-to-people-except-insofar-as/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Kant, as we all know, compared moral law to the starry heavens, and found them both sublime. On the naturalistic hypothesis we should rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/kant-as-we-all-know-compared-moral-law-to-the-starry-heavens-and/) [Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/) > [Kant has been famous for his rejection of eudaimonism, but I think Kantian ethics has a great deal in common with Aristotle, and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-has-been-famous-for-his-rejection-of-eudaimonism-but-i-think/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“the passage on dignity is an addendum to the formula of autonomy: ‘act only so that the will could regard itself as at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sensen/the-passage-on-dignity-is-an-addendum-to-the-formula-of-autonomy-act/) [Oliver Sensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sensen/) [Browse all 176 Kant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Kant did not explain the origin of these judgments but assumed that they were attained by abstraction from the activity of the soul, which structures, according to eternal laws, its experiences (Kant, 1770/1968, § 8, § 15, corollary).”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ulrich Müller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these-judgments-but-assumed-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kant" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these-judgments-but-assumed-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/ulrich-m-ller-19704_kant_kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these_786882.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/ulrich-m-ller-19704_kant_kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these_786882.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/ulrich-m-ller-19704_kant_kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these_786882.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Kant did not explain the origin of these judgments but assumed that they were attained by abstraction from…” — Ulrich Müller", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ulrich Müller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Kant did not explain the origin...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these-judgments-but-assumed-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these-judgments-but-assumed-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```