Daniel Ludwig Sutherland

The nature of mathematical knowledge—how one knows mathematical truths and the implications for what kinds of things one is capable of knowing—has greatly influenced how humans understand themselves. Can mathematical demonstrations, such as geometrical proofs, give us knowledge that is certain and is of necessary and universal truths, or is that mistaken? If they can, how? Kant’s answer is that they can and his explanation of how this is the case shaped all of his philosophy, including his metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. This project presents a unified account of Kant’s theory of mathematical knowledge, one that will inform investigations into all of Kant’s philosophy.