Kant for Architects

Author: Diane Morgan
Year: 2018
Source type: book
Raw file: raw/books/morgan_2020_kant_for_architects.md

Summary

Morgan presents Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) as a philosopher whose work was constantly informed by concern for the world as an evolving whole. Kant grounded his philosophical vision using an architectural metaphor: the modest "dwelling house" rather than speculative "castles in the sky." The book explores Kant's notions of cosmopolitics — thinking politics from a global perspective considering Earth as a sphere with limited land mass and resources. Given urgent sustainable development concerns, Kantian texts are of particular interest for architects. Kant's critical project tested the viability of ideas to ascertain how they can have constructive effect on the world. Morgan argues Kant's "cosmic" and holistic understanding underpins any theory of sustainability, ecology, and cosmopolitan spirit.

Key Claims

• Kant grounded his philosophical vision using architectural metaphor of modest "dwelling house" rather than speculative "castles in the sky"
• Kant's cosmopolitics attempts to think politics from global perspective considering Earth as sphere with limited land mass and natural resources
• Kant is a future-oriented and ethico-politically concerned thinker who clearly speaks to architects
• Humans should act as mutually dependent and responsible subjects in interconnected, dynamic world
• Kant's critical project consisted of testing and exploring viability of ideas — ascertaining how ideas can have constructive effect on the whole world
• Kant's understanding of the world is necessary underpinning for any theory of sustainability, ecology, and cosmopolitan spirit
• Architecture must negotiate between theory and practice, as Kant's critical project also did
• Kant introduces tension as constructive force in building cosmopolitically
• The sublime offers expanded notion of architecture beyond mere beauty
• Kant's philosophy encourages acting as moral agent within the world, resisting assumptions while evolving through critique

Connections

Concepts: cosmopolitics, dwelling, sublime, beauty, ethics, enlightenment, humanism, sustainability, ecology, aesthetic-judgment, universalism, cosmopolitanism, teleology, practical-reason, moral-agency

Authors: kant-immanuel, morgan-diane, sharr-adam, kleist-heinrich-von, fuller-buckminster, pohl-nicole, blake-charlie

Debates: universalism-vs-relativism, universalism-vs-relativism, sustainability-and-ethics

Related source notes: kidder-gadamer-for-architects, yaneva-latour-for-architects

Direct Quotes

"Kant grounded his enlightened vision of philosophy's mission using an architectural metaphor: of the modest 'dwelling house'. Far from constructing speculative 'castles in the sky' or vertiginous 'towers which reach to the heavens', he tells us that his humble aim is rather to build a 'secure home for ourselves'." (p. 1)

"Kant's 'cosmic' and holistic understanding of the world is a necessary underpinning for any theory of sustainability, ecology and the cosmopolitan spirit." (p. 1, blurb)

"Given his future-oriented and ethico-politically concerned thinking, Kant is a thinker who clearly speaks to architects." (p. 1)

"Students of architecture, who are necessarily trained in negotiating between theory and practice, gain much from considering Kant, whose critical project also consisted of testing and exploring the viability of ideas." (p. 1)

"Kant's notions of cosmopolitics, which attempts to think politics from a global perspective by taking into account the geographical fact that the earth is a sphere with limited land mass and natural resources." (p. 1)

Open Questions

• How might Kant's cosmopolitics be operationalized in contemporary architectural practice?
• What would "building cosmopolitically" look like in the context of climate crisis?
• How does Kant's notion of tension as constructive force apply to architectural composition?
• Can Kant's dwelling house metaphor be reconciled with contemporary urban density challenges?