Reference no: EM13128185

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, most philosophers accepted the Imprint Theory of Causation and the doctrine of innate ideas. Explain how these two beliefs are combined in the rationalist philosophies to justify their conceptions of the self and the idea of God. Almost as soon as the great rational hypotheses (above) were articulated, an alternative was defined, which denies the existence of innate ideas and ultimately the Imprint Theory of Causation. Explain how those changes tended to undermine belief in the existence of God and of a substantive self that is endowed with free will. Explain Kant’s reaction to the competing schools of thought identified above, and in particular Kant’s remark that he hoped to avoid the skepticism of the empiricists without indulging in the metaphysical excesses of the rationalists. Kant claims that he denies knowledge to make room for faith, but just what does he deny knowledge of? What kind of faith does he hope to enable; that is, faith in what and to what purpose?