On the Role of Analogy in Kant’s Discourse on the Cognition of God

Abstract Analogy is an important yet much neglected concept in Immanuel Kant’s philosophy. It serves not only as a basis for Kant’s deduction of concepts such as entity, but also as a fundamental way of cognizing God. This article explores the concept of analogy in Kant as a way of cognizing God. Analogy is not for the purpose of gaining knowledge of things in themselves, but for the purpose of understanding the relationship of something to something else. In this sense, the knowledge of God gained through analogical modes of thinking serves to express the relationship between God and the systematic unity of the world. By means of analogy, Kant avoids dogmatic deism and crude anthropomorphism.