Immanuel Kant
Kant is one of the titanic figures of modern philosophy whose theories are abstruse and complex as the language he uses to convey them. Notorious as the author of some the most impenetrable of philosophical texts, he is also somewhat ironically famous for one of the most unambiguous definitions of determining the morality of any action: his “moral imperative” asserts that one should never be willing to do anything that that would not mandate becoming a universally recognized as an ethical choice regardless of any individual circumstances. Kant’s inclusion in this text is primarily relegated to his writings on imagination and perception.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
About the only modern philosopher capable of making Kant’s writing seem like a walk in the park is Wittgenstein. Unlike Kant, Wittgenstein does not even offer the casual reader of philosophical tomes the bone of something concise and simple like the “moral imperative.” Wittgenstein is the recipient of the highest honor handed out in the volume: the only genius in the field of philosophy producing work in the 20th century. The primary focus for Strawson is Philosophical Investigations, which was published posthumously following Wittgenstein’s death in 1951.
David Hume
Legendary British empiricist philosopher David Hume is introduced for the most part as figure engages for the purpose of juxtaposition with Kant. Some of Hume’s most famous works are theoretical analyses of the nature of perception. It would be a fool’s errand to try to distill these theories down to a single definition since Hume expended so many thousands of words theorizing upon the subject. This, of course, make him an ideal subject for comparison and contrast with Kant’s equally voluminous production on the nature of perception.
Stuart Hampshire
The least well-known philosopher whose theories come up for review by Strawson is—probably not coincidentally—the most recent. Hampshire’s work spanned the 20th century until his death in 2004. His work in the field of perception is also the subject for inclusion, specifically Hampshire’s writings on the differentiation between something perceived in a non-committal way and something perceived with more definite certainty.
