Kant and the Deterministic Closure

Depoliticization and Deprivatization of Contemporary Life: A Contrast with Cornelius Castoriadis's Reflections

Abstract

It is argued that the loss of meaning in contemporary lifestyles is the combined result of the depoliticization and deprivatization of contemporary life, that is, the simultaneous degradation of the public and the private. This is the absurdity to which the (ir)rational exuberance of pretending that reason can do everything led a way of disguising the human mania for unlimited domination. Domination that, in turn, hides fear of otherness and, finally, of freedom, fear of admitting that the composition of meaning is, in reality, the creation of meaning and must be set by the human being. However, not all is lost and although nothing is guaranteed, the possibility of recognizing and admitting the enigma of the world, the possibility of a human utopia and with these, the possibility of rediscovering meaning is still there and we confirm that Kant represents a relevant and current one. With this purpose, we proceed by contrast with another philosopher, this one from the 20th century, explicitly non-Kantian, Cornelius Castoriadis, to subject Kantian categories to Castoridian conclusions and thus capture the possibilities of a transfer of meaning, verifying that not only Kantian categories support the content of contemporary reflection, but they show themselves capable of feeding back understanding and broadening the discussion of the problems raised.