Synthetic a priori Judgements and Extended Metaphysics as the Basis of the Philosophy of Religion in the Thought of Rudolf Brajičić

Abstract

Well–known as a theologian, professor of various theology courses and a very prolific writer, Rudolf Brajičić pursued, in the latter years of his life in particular, diverse philosophical issues. However, this segment of his scientific activities has been overshadowed somewhat by his theological–scientific achievements. Hence, the aim of this paper is to look into the virtually neglected, but very valuable, patrimony of Brajičić’s philosophical thought. A great part of Brajičić’s philosophical opus is the fruit of his perseverance in his dialogue with Kant. Therefore, the first section of this research paper highlights Brajičić’s perception of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason with a special emphasis on the Transcendental Aesthetic. The purpose of this section is to demonstate how Brajičić, in his analysis of Kant’s synthetic judgement and his personal interpretation thereof, demonstrates the possibility that a priori synthetic knowledge need not eliminate classical metaphysics, as Kant purported, but rather reopens manoeuvering space. In the second section we shall reflect on the implications of these philosophical intuitions of Brajičić in the context of the philosophy of religion.