Kant has repeatedly claimed that human beings have their own vocation collectively. This can be understood as the actualization of reason, which can be divided into two aspects. First, on the idealistic level, this can be understood as the actualization of the "kingdom of ends", in which all actions done by human being are based on moral ground. Second, on the realistic level, this can be understood as the actualization of "republic" or "eternal peace", in which the concentration is not morality but legality. These two aspects combining together is the vocation of mankind as a whole. Individual human beings are not indifferent. Every one of us is unique by having our own situation. In our situations, we make unique and personal decisions. In short, we have on the one side the need of actualizing of the human vocation; on the other side the uniqueness of existential situation. If they are not compatible to each other completely, which of the two should be put in the first place is the most important question to be answered. Kant scholars have debated over the compatibility between individuality and universality of Kant's philosophy in different forms. Most of them thought that these two sides are not compatible at all. However, in order to make sense of Kant's philosophy, and to understand it as being philosophy in sensu eminenti, as Kant himself has claimed, we must solve this problem and see whether Kant has provided any solution to this dilemma. / Kant's philosophy from the outset is about mankind as a whole, yet in its core individuality has never been neglected. The main purpose of this dissertation is twofold: first, to unfold the individuality in Kant's philosophy by the discussion of "history" and second to discuss the relationship between situation and vocation in Kant's philosophy. / Since particular occurrences are basic to the construction of "history", and individuals must be involved in these particular occurrences, "history" thus is a very proper locus for the unfolding of individuality. / The individual (particular) and universal, as a pair of contrary concepts, have been struggling since the very beginning of the history of western philosophy. The traditional reading to Kant's major works suggests that his philosophy concerns the universal more than the individual. I am not going to refute this interpretation, yet I do not agree with it totally. Kant's philosophy concentrates indeed more on the universality of humanity; but the individuality of human beings plays a certain role as a hidden element in Kant's philosophy. Enlightened by the development of phenomenology, if differences among individuals are eliminated or simply neglected, the significance of discussing collective human vocation should be put into doubt. / Wong Ho Ki. / "June 2006." / Adviser: Tze Wan Kwan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-02, Section: A, page: 0602. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-169). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:cuhk.edu.hk/oai:cuhk-dr:cuhk_343955 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Contributors | Wong, Ho Ki., Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School. Division of Philosophy. |
| Source Sets | The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Language | English, Chinese |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, theses |
| Format | electronic resource, microform, microfiche, 1 online resource (169 p.) |
| Rights | Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
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