Abstract

According to Kant, the faculty of understanding possesses apriori concepts. These concepts or categories are the basis of universal and necessary judgments. In his view, the knowledge of facts is possible for humans through these concepts. On the other hand, in Islamic philosophy true and universal concepts are divided into primary intelligibles or quiddative concepts indicating the quiddities of objects, logical secondary intelligibles, and philosophical secondary intelligibles. This paper compares the Kantian categories with the secondary intelligibles in Islamic philosophy. The writer believes that paying attention to various viewpoints of concepts makes this paper distinct from similar ones. Here, he has first explained the various viewpoints of concepts, and then, after a brief explanation of Kantian categories and secondary intelligibles in Islamic philosophy, compared them with each other.