Antinomy

The denotative meaning of Antinomy is the mutual incompatibility of two laws. The philosopher Immanuel Kant’s philosophy has given special significance to the term Antimony. He used the term to describing the equally rational but brings out contradictory results in applying it to the world of pure thoughts the criteria of reason which is proper to the universe of perception. The establishment of rational truth here cannot be attempted by the empirical reason because of the fact that it is reaches beyond possible experience.

There four different antinomies which Kent has brought forth: Firstly, the constraint of the universe with respect to space and time. Secondly, the philosophy that the whole universe is made of indivisible atoms but in reality nothing exists. Thirdly, the free will problem in relation to the causality of the universe. Fourthly, the survival of a necessary being. One thing to note about all these antimonies is that in each of these there is thesis which contradicts an antithesis. If the first Antinomy is taken into consideration, time must have a beginning and if there is no beginning, then there would be an infinity which might have been elapsed till the current moment. This is what Kent has proved in here that, infinitive cannot be finished by successive synthesis. So, there is a need for a finalizing synthesis to the view this point which makes that time is infinitive. On the other hand, when it is analyzed in the other way by thinking that if time had a beginning then there must have been something like an “empty time” from which the time must have aroused. There by the antithesis is proved.

Kant was interested in determining the limits to science, his critical program of determining the limits to philosophical inquiry and science has explored to corners of science. Even this theory is a part of determining the limits of science. Kent’s main ambition in his critical philosophy was to explore the core of the claims we are and are not justified in making. The antimonies are specifically concentrated to be an illustrative example of his bigger project.

In a broader scope, antinomy can be related to paradox which is generally understood as statement or a group of statements that leads to a contradiction or intuition which rebel’s intuition. It also expresses a non-dual truth.

Particularly in literature, a paradox is used to refer to a contradictory or a false statement that is resolved upon continuous inspection.

Questions

• What is antinomy?
• What are the four different antinomies of Kent?