I like the point but it seems unfair to Kant. Kant worked hard to distinguish between practical reason (ethics) and instrumental reason (praxis) to carve out a place for the former. Now you are applying principles of practical reason to instrumental reasoning. There's definitely laziness going on, but it seems to simply be one of over-generalizing or a tendency toward conformism. Kant's categorical imperative, on the other hand, always struck me as a radically non-conformist and lonely path.
Good sir! This was astonishingly well done.
"Idle Kantian" is now in the running for my favorite 2022 concept.
I like the point but it seems unfair to Kant. Kant worked hard to distinguish between practical reason (ethics) and instrumental reason (praxis) to carve out a place for the former. Now you are applying principles of practical reason to instrumental reasoning. There's definitely laziness going on, but it seems to simply be one of over-generalizing or a tendency toward conformism. Kant's categorical imperative, on the other hand, always struck me as a radically non-conformist and lonely path.
Great article! You might be interested in the book Scout Mindset, which deals with the humble experimentalist mindset directly.