kantischer

Kantischer is a German adjective meaning Kantian, relating to the philosopher Immanuel Kant or to Kantian philosophy in general. It is used to describe concepts, arguments, or persons associated with Kantian thought.

Etymology and usage notes: The term is formed from the proper name Kant with the suffix -ischer. Like other German adjectives, kantischer declines according to gender, number, and case. For example, ein kantischer Philosoph (a Kantian philosopher), die kantische Ethik (the Kantian ethics), or das kantische Erkenntnistheorie/Erkenntnistheorie in common usage as kantische Erkenntnistheorie. The form kantischer specifically targets masculine singular nouns; kantische and kantisches appear with feminine and neuter nouns, respectively. In scholarly German, kantisch is sometimes used as a broader or less inflected variant.

Scope and context: Kantischer is most often found in philosophical writing and criticism. It describes elements derived from Kant’s framework, such as Kantische Erkenntnistheorie (Kantian epistemology), Kantische Ethik (Kantian ethics), Kantische Ästhetik (Kantian aesthetics), or Kantische Metaphysik. The term helps distinguish Kantian traditions from post-Kantian developments in German philosophy, including figures who both continued and contested Kant’s project. In contemporary prose, kantisch and kantischer are both used, with kantischer appearing when the grammatical form requires a masculine noun.

See also: Kant, Kantianism, Kantian ethics, Kantian philosophy, German philosophy.