KANT’TA SENTETİK A PRİORİ’NİN MATEMATİĞİN GERÇEKLİĞİNDEKİ ROLÜ

One of the main goals of modern-era philosophers was to provide a general philosophical basis for the emerging natural sciences, as well as for both their depiction of nature and their research methods. One of the basic criteria that made us understand the universe in the history of natural sciences has been the concept of quantity. Number quantity is the symbol or concept of quantities that can be measured quantitatively corresponding to these sizes in our minds. In this form of expression, since the qualitative properties of the object, which we perceive with our senses such as color, size (big / small), temperature, etc., are isolated by its concept of quantity, the object itself is now out of the question and the subject is discussed about the object only through numerical data. It is at this point that the problem of quantifying the expression of natural sciences began. In the process of quantitating natural sciences, which started with Galileo and showed a great improvement with Newton, the universe began to be described with the language of mathematics. However, there were some problems with the conceptual foundations of this depiction. Realizing these problems, Kant appreciated the importance and value of Newton’s explanation of the universe, but predicted that if these conceptual problems were not resolved, this enormous building would go beyond a makeshift structure on rotten foundations. Kant had identified two basic problems to be solved: i. While nature is the domain of experimental and non-essential knowledge, mathematics is the domain of rational, theoretical and compulsory knowledge. How can mathematics, which is a priori, in other words, which has universal and compulsory judgments, be applied to an empirical and therefore possible field, namely nature? ii. Newton’s concept universe is a universe in which the subject (mind) revolves around the object. Space and time, which are the most basic concepts of the universe imagination, are, according to Newton, real entities independent of things. In this case, does the mind not change or transform at all while receiving or grasping the object? If the subjects who knows what makes experience possible, are there no subjective conditions of it?

Modern dönem filozoflarının başlıca hedeflerinden biri yükselmekte olan doğa bilimlerine ve ayrıca bu bilimlerin hem doğa tasvirine hem de doğayı araştırma yöntemlerine genel felsefi bir zemin sağlamaktı. Galileo ile başlayan ve Newton ile büyük bir gelişme gösteren doğal bilimlerin nicelikselleştirilmesi sürecinde evren matematik diliyle tasvir edilmeye başlamıştı. Ancak bu tasvirin kavramsal temellerinde bazı sorunlar vardı. Bu sorunları fark eden Kant, Newton’un evren izahının önemini ve kıymetini takdir etmekle birlikte söz konusu kavramsal problemler giderilmediğinde bu muazzam binanın çürük temeller üzerinde eğreti bir yapıdan öteye gitmeyeceğini öngördü. Bu amaçla Kant, fizik evrenin dili olmayı amaçlayan soyut ve tümellerin evreni olan matematik ile somut ve tikellerin evreni olan fizik evren arasındaki “örtük olmama” problemini “sentetik a priori” tezi ile çözerek gerçekleştirmiştir. Bu çalışmada Kant’ın, somut ve olgusal olan fizik evren ilkelerinin soyut, değişmeyen ve tümellerin âlemi olan matematik dili tarafından temsilini imkân dâhilinde olmasını sağlayan “sentetik a priori” tezinin kavramsal ve mantıksal olarak nasıl ispatlandığı araştırılacaktır.