Kant's deconstruction of the principle of sufficient reason

Abstract

Kant describes his argument in the Second Analogy of Experience as “the only possible proof of the principle of sufficient reason.” I compare this statement with Kant’s proof of the principle of sufficient reason in the pre-critical period. I argue that Kant is correct in maintaining that his “proof” in the Second Analogy amounts to a defense of all aspects of the principle of sufficient reason laid out in the pre-critical text. But the status of the principle has changed radically: its validity is premised on the unity of consciousness which, according to Kant, conditions all experience. I show how this relates to Kant’s view of freedom.