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Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism
This thesis examines Kant’s distinction between appearances and things in themselves within the framework of transcendental idealism, focusing on how this distinction is meant to secure objective validity while respecting the limits of possible experience. It critically evaluates two influential con...
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AUC Knowledge Fountain
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613433520717824 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | ElMargoushy, Amr |
| author_browse | ElMargoushy, Amr |
| author_facet | ElMargoushy, Amr |
| author_sort | ElMargoushy, Amr |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This thesis examines Kant’s distinction between appearances and things in themselves within the framework of transcendental idealism, focusing on how this distinction is meant to secure objective validity while respecting the limits of possible experience. It critically evaluates two influential contemporary interpretations: Henry Allison’s epistemological reading, which understands the distinction as marking different ways of considering the same object, and Lucy Allais’s metaphysical reading, which attributes a grounding role to things in themselves. The thesis argues that while Allison’s reinterpretation successfully avoids noumenal causation by construing affection epistemically, it generates a structural epistemic circularity concerning the role of receptivity and dependence on what is given, whereas Allais’s proposal addresses this difficulty at the cost of reintroducing metaphysical commitments that Kant’s critical project seeks to constrain. The conclusion clarifies the philosophical stakes of this tension and assesses the extent to which Kant’s framework can accommodate receptivity without undermining its epistemic limits. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3801 |
| institution | American University in Cairo (Egypt) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:04.472Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| publisherStr | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| spelling | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3801 Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism ElMargoushy, Amr This thesis examines Kant’s distinction between appearances and things in themselves within the framework of transcendental idealism, focusing on how this distinction is meant to secure objective validity while respecting the limits of possible experience. It critically evaluates two influential contemporary interpretations: Henry Allison’s epistemological reading, which understands the distinction as marking different ways of considering the same object, and Lucy Allais’s metaphysical reading, which attributes a grounding role to things in themselves. The thesis argues that while Allison’s reinterpretation successfully avoids noumenal causation by construing affection epistemically, it generates a structural epistemic circularity concerning the role of receptivity and dependence on what is given, whereas Allais’s proposal addresses this difficulty at the cost of reintroducing metaphysical commitments that Kant’s critical project seeks to constrain. The conclusion clarifies the philosophical stakes of this tension and assesses the extent to which Kant’s framework can accommodate receptivity without undermining its epistemic limits. 2026-05-20T07:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2742 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3801/viewcontent/amr_elmargoushy_thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain noumena thing in itself transcendental idealism existence receptivity objective validity Kant affection epistemic limits Continental Philosophy Epistemology Metaphysics |
| spellingShingle | noumena thing in itself transcendental idealism existence receptivity objective validity Kant affection epistemic limits Continental Philosophy Epistemology Metaphysics ElMargoushy, Amr Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism |
| title | Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism |
| title_full | Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism |
| title_fullStr | Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism |
| title_short | Receptivity and the Thing in Itself: Allison, Allais, and the Problem of Outer Affection in Kant’s Transcendental Idealism |
| title_sort | receptivity and the thing in itself allison allais and the problem of outer affection in kant s transcendental idealism |
| topic | noumena thing in itself transcendental idealism existence receptivity objective validity Kant affection epistemic limits Continental Philosophy Epistemology Metaphysics |
| url | https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2742 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3801/viewcontent/amr_elmargoushy_thesis.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elmargoushyamr receptivityandthethinginitselfallisonallaisandtheproblemofouteraffectioninkantstranscendentalidealism |