Frames of Thought

Durkheim's Concepts Instead of Kant's A Priori Categories

Abstract

It is a problem in philosophy how the mind understands nature. How the results of observations come together in a meaningful form. Kant suggests a priori categories for this problem. According to him in the absence of the categories, the objects and phenomena that we perceive are in a relatively independent heap. A priori categories bring those independent pieces of observation together in an organized and meaningful form. Durkheim accepts Kant’s approach to a priori categories, however, he suggests a social origin for them. Durkheim’s attempt to explain the social origin of the categories results in differences in the number and content of a priori categories that Kant suggested. Durkheim’s suggestion changes into general concepts that act as social facts which lead to individuals’ thoughts.