Critique of Pure ReasonGeorge Bell and Sons, 1887 - 517 pages Metaphysicians have for centuries attempted to clarify the nature of the world and how rational human beings construct their ideas of it. Materialists believed that the world (including its human component) consisted of objective matter, an irreducible substance to which qualities and characteristics could be attributed. Mindthoughts, ideas, and perceptionswas viewed as a more sophisticated material substance. Idealists, on the other hand, argued that the world acquired its reality from mind, which breathed metaphysical life into substances that had no independent existence of their own. These two camps seemed deadlocked until Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason endeavored to show that the most accurate theory of reality would be one that combined relevant aspects of each position, yet transcended both to arrive at a more fundamental metaphysical theory. Kant's synthesis sought to disclose how human reason goes about constructing its experience of the world, thus intertwining objective simuli with rational processes that arrive at an orderly view of nature. |
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according analytical analytical proposition antinomy applied apprehension belong causality cause ception co-existence complete connection consciousness consequently contains contradiction deduction determined dialectical discover dition empirical intuition employed example existence extensive quantity external intuition faculty of cognition follows former given ground inasmuch internal sense knowledge latter laws limits logical manifold mathematics means merely metaphysics mode nature necessarily necessary necessity never nihil negativum nomena notion noumenon objective reality objective validity objects of experience organon ourselves perception permanent phæno phænomena phænomenon philosophy possess possible experience predicate present presupposes principles priori cognition priori laws proof pure conceptions pure intuition pure reason pure understanding quantity question rational psychology regard regress relation repre represent representation rience rule schema sensation sensibility sensuous intuition space speculative speculative reason sphere substance substratum synthesis synthetical propositions synthetical unity things thought tion Trans transcendental logic truth uncon unconditioned unity of apperception