Reflective requirements in the knowledge of nature in Kant

Abstract

This article analyzes the epistemic value of reflective presuppositions in Kant’s epistemology, particularly regarding the investigation of nature. Starting from the limits of the Transcendental Deduction, it argues that empirical knowledge requires not only the application of pure categories but also empirical concepts, whose use presupposes a systematic unity in nature. This unity cannot be proven but must be assumed as a regulative principle guiding reflective judgment. Such a presupposition is justified through Kant’s notion of “doctrinal belief”: a form of assent that is subjectively sufficient though objectively insufficient. The article concludes that, while these beliefs do not constitute knowledge in the strict sense, they should not be reduced to mere opinion. Rather, they are necessary transcendental conditions for the coherent articulation of empirical experience and the advancement of scientific knowledge.