João Barreto Leite

The present project proposes an analysis of Kant’s conception of the systematic unity of knowledge and of the role this unity plays in the natural sciences, especially in physics and biology. The topic is important because it raises questions about how Kant conceived the functioning of the faculties of the mind in the systematization of knowledge, particularly scientific knowledge, leading to an investigation into the epistemology of the critical project. Furthermore, the proposal is composed of two parts: one that deals specifically with the concept of systematic unity, and another that addresses the relation of this concept to the sciences (first to science in general, and then to the specific cases of physics and biology). To this end, it will be necessary to investigate mainly three of Kant’s works: the Critique of Pure Reason, the Critique of the Power of Judgment, and the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science. The first two works concentrate most of the discussion on the concept of systematic unity, and therefore contain the main assumptions of the proposed investigation.