On a Leitfaden for Understanding and Translating Kant’s Work, with Reference to the Romanian Translation of the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science

This article undertakes an analysis of the main concepts used in Kant’s metaphysics of nature, applying an approach inspired by the Critique of Pure Reason , where the topic is synthesized through the guiding thread ( Leitfaden ) of the categories. In the present case, the leading thread is provided by Latin terms and structures incorporated into the text and has a cultural meaning. Translating Kant involves recovering these common roots, creating a cultural bridge to other European languages. In order to support this idea, two translations of Kant’s metaphysics of nature – by Michael Friedman and Arnaut Pelletier (into English and French, respectively) – are considered and compared with my own Romanian translation. This brings to light, first, the relationship between what is general, or European, and what results from the evolution of the target language, and second, the way in which the three translators conceive of the relation between Kant’s message and its rendering in the target language. Through such analyses, the personality of the translated author can be better understood, framed in an evolution of ideas. At the same time, the connection between the development of Kant’s philosophical concepts and the development of his transcendental idealism is highlighted.