Kant on the Possibility of Freedom

Kant famously carves out space for transcendental freedom by dint of the distinction between appearances and things in themselves. In doing so, he denies establishing the actuality of freedom, as this would transcend the legitimate use of theoretical reason. Strikingly, he also denies proving the possibility of freedom (KrV, A 558/B 586). There is widespread agreement that here Kant denies having demonstrated the real possibility of freedom. However, scholars are divided on the kind of possibility that does pertain to it. This paper explores the modal status of transcendental freedom from the standpoint of theoretical reason. I argue that Kant establishes both the logical possibility of freedom and a more robust status – what I call real non-impossibility. Short of proving transcendental freedom to be really possible, he shows that its real impossibility cannot be demonstrated, thereby leaving room for a deduction of its reality on practical grounds.