Foucault's reconceptualisation of Kantian critique

Much to the surprise of his supporters and critics, Foucault aligns himself with the Kantian philosophical tradition and identifies himself as a type of 'Kantian' in some of his later writings. Given his trenchant criticism of Kant early in his philosophical career, Foucault's later association with Kant appears contradictory and inconsistent. Despite the small proportion they comprise of the entire Foucauldian corpus, Foucault's so-called 'Enlightenment' writings give us a sense that he modifies his view of Kant, enabling us to discern a discordant reception of Kant by Foucault. This discordant reception or ambiguity (i.e., early criticism of Kant and later sympathy with him) allows us to discern a shift in Foucault's philosophy. Hence, this thesis mainly argues that Foucault's reconceptualisation of Kantian critique constitutes a shift in his philosophical itinerary.Answering the question how Kant conceptualises criticism, the first chapter, 'Kant's Transcendental Criticism,' explains Kant's conception of 'critique'. Devoted to Kant, this chapter gives an idea of the Kantian criticism of which Foucault is very critical. The second chapter, 'Foucault's Criticism of Kantian Transcendental Philosophy,' focuses on some of Foucault's early works and discusses why Foucault is critical of Kant. Dealing with Foucault's 'enlightenment' writings, the third chapter, 'The Return to Kant: Foucault's 'Enlightenment' Writings,' answers the question why Foucault's transformation of the Kantian critique amounts to a Foucauldian shift and explains how Foucault reconceptualises and modifies the Kantian critique. The fourth chapter considers some results and implications of Foucault's return to Kant.One result is the lively debate between the so-called coherence and non-coherence theorists. Despite giving it a different account, Foucault's resumption of the Kantian critical enterprise serves as the cause or condition that makes possible the seemingly irreconcilable poles between Foucault's supporters and critics. We subscribe to the position of the coherence theorists, finding no contradiction but coherence in Foucault's philosophy. To support our argument and explore the implications of this conclusion, we look at the two aspects of Foucault's 'practical criticism' and his oxymoronic notion of 'historical a priori' or the idea that history is a conditioned condition. The thesis then concludes that Foucault's reconceptualisation of Kantian critique is a shift in his philosophy