What question did this study set out to answer?

This paper aims to clarify Kant's position on concept formation, arguing against a common interpretation.

January 25, 2026Open Access

Kant's Solution to the Trilemma of Concept Formation

DEDaniel ErleweinPhilosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Münster

Key Points

This paper aims to clarify Kant's position on concept formation, arguing against a common interpretation.
Analyzed Kant's writings on logic and concept formation.
Critiqued existing comparisons of concepts in logical accounts.
Introduced the abstraction-first framework to understand Kant's approach.
Demonstrated that Kant's account does not lead to circularity.
Showed how abstraction precedes comparison in concept formation.
Provided a clearer understanding of the trilemma in Kant's philosophy.

Abstract

Abstract According to a widespread assumption, Kant's logical account of concept formation starts with comparison, where the latter involves concepts. On this assumption, the formation of a concept presupposes other concepts, so that the argument is threatened either by circularity, regress, or break‐off. In this paper, I argue that Kant did not hold the comparison‐first account that scholars typically attribute to him. Rather, he advocated an abstraction‐first account in which comparison is preceded by abstraction. Since the latter serves the generalization of marks and thus provides the general representations required for comparison, the abstraction‐first account does not run into the described trilemma.

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