The Boundaries of Reality: Quantum Physics within a Transcendental Ideal Framework

Abstract

In this project I am going to explore how the boundaries of our reality are conditioned by metaphysical principles. I will argue, in the spirit of Immanuel Kant, that these metaphysical principles also ground our knowledge and description of the natural sciences, and more specifically, within quantum physics. My main objective is to study the framework of our cognition of knowledge along the lines of model-dependent reality. We will see why in the science of physics, a paradigm shift was needed to be able to expand and account for new knowledge, along with novel discoveries. This newer theory of knowledge and newer framework, being quantum theory, reflects that our objective knowledge must always contain an element of the subjective observer. This leads us to re-think what we understand to be ‘objective’ reality. The so-called human standpoint becomes one of the main themes in this thesis, then. When we ask ourselves, “Where does reality begin and where does it end? What are the limits to our reality?” – I shall argue that it both starts and ends with the transcendental subject, as this specific subject is what conditions our experience, and is found at the boundaries of our reality. Thus, in thesis I will ultimately argue for a different notion of objective knowledge because of what sets the boundaries of our reality.