登陆注册
15729100000002

第2章

I do not mean by this a criticism of books and systems, but a critical inquiry into the faculty of reason, with reference to the cognitions to which it strives to attain without the aid of experience; in other words, the solution of the question regarding the possibility or impossibility of metaphysics, and the determination of the origin, as well as of the extent and limits of this science.

All this must be done on the basis of principles.

This path- the only one now remaining- has been entered upon by me; and I flatter myself that I have, in this way, discovered the cause of- and consequently the mode of removing- all the errors which have hitherto set reason at variance with itself, in the sphere of non-empirical thought.I have not returned an evasive answer to the questions of reason, by alleging the inability and limitation of the faculties of the mind; I have, on the contrary, examined them completely in the light of principles, and, after having discovered the cause of the doubts and contradictions into which reason fell, have solved them to its perfect satisfaction.It is true, these questions have not been solved as dogmatism, in its vain fancies and desires, had expected; for it can only be satisfied by the exercise of magical arts, and of these I have no knowledge.But neither do these come within the compass of our mental powers; and it was the duty of philosophy to destroy the illusions which had their origin in misconceptions, whatever darling hopes and valued expectations may be ruined by its explanations.My chief aim in this work has been thoroughness; and I make bold to say that there is not a single metaphysical problem that does not find its solution, or at least the key to its solution, here.Pure reason is a perfect unity; and therefore, if the if the principle presented by it prove to be insufficient for the solution of even a single one of those questions to which the very nature of reason gives birth, we must reject it, as we could not be perfectly certain of its sufficiency in the case of the others.

While I say this, I think I see upon the countenance of the reader signs of dissatisfaction mingled with contempt, when he hears declarations which sound so boastful and extravagant; and yet they are beyond comparison more moderate than those advanced by the commonest author of the commonest philosophical programme, in which the dogmatist professes to demonstrate the simple nature of the soul, or the necessity of a primal being.Such a dogmatist promises to extend human knowledge beyond the limits of possible experience; while Ihumbly confess that this is completely beyond my power.Instead of any such attempt, I confine myself to the examination of reason alone and its pure thought; and I do not need to seek far for the sum-total of its cognition, because it has its seat in my own mind.

Besides, common logic presents me with a complete and systematic catalogue of all the simple operations of reason; and it is my task to answer the question how far reason can go, without the material presented and the aid furnished by experience.

So much for the completeness and thoroughness necessary in the execution of the present task.The aims set before us are not arbitrarily proposed, but are imposed upon us by the nature of cognition itself.

The above remarks relate to the matter of our critical inquiry.As regards the form, there are two indispensable conditions, which any one who undertakes so difficult a task as that of a critique of pure reason, is bound to fulfil.These conditions are certitude and clearness.

As regards certitude, I have fully convinced myself that, in this sphere of thought, opinion is perfectly inadmissible, and that everything which bears the least semblance of an hypothesis must be excluded, as of no value in such discussions.For it is a necessary condition of every cognition that is to be established upon a priori grounds that it shall be held to be absolutely necessary; much more is this the case with an attempt to determine all pure a priori cognition, and to furnish the standard- and consequently an example-of all apodeictic (philosophical) certitude.Whether I have succeeded in what I professed to do, it is for the reader to determine; it is the author's business merely to adduce grounds and reasons, without determining what influence these ought to have on the mind of his judges.But, lest anything he may have said may become the innocent cause of doubt in their minds, or tend to weaken the effect which his arguments might otherwise produce- he may be allowed to point out those passages which may occasion mistrust or difficulty, although these do not concern the main purpose of the present work.He does this solely with the view of removing from the mind of the reader any doubts which might affect his judgement of the work as a whole, and in regard to its ultimate aim.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 帝王宠之卿本妖娆
  • 神魔召之剑体

    神魔召之剑体

    现代人王思远,带着系统召,时不时召个神,不爽时召个魔,行走在玄天大陆,谁挡我,我弄谁,看我如何成为一代天骄,将所谓天才踩在脚下
  • 肉跳世界

    肉跳世界

    人生若梦,不过是虚惊一场,但如果你遇到的是接踵而至的诡异、好友死忙、不知自己是生是死?又该怎么办?丝丝入扣、层层揭谜,诡异的一幅画、声色场所的吸精恶魔、安静诡异的“人魔”、石头山上的莫名黑影......带给你心惊肉跳,彻骨冰寒。深夜读书,只有你“砰、砰”的心跳………
  • 帝国征途之罗马传奇

    帝国征途之罗马传奇

    长空万里,寒风凛冽,飞鸟也欲憾苍穹。苍海无涯,骇浪层出,鲤鱼竟竞跃龙门。风萧萧,易水寒。人海茫茫,踏上征途又何妨?战火响彻,飞沙走石,铁骑纵横,英雄层出。刀光剑影,谁为王?且看罗马传奇,留个脚印又何妨?(PS:前面几万字因为一开始经验不足,实在有点烂,正在缓慢修改中,推荐新书友跳开来看)
  • 守候是我最好的告白

    守候是我最好的告白

    陈依茉终于回来了。张至源从未想过,陈依茉这一走,走了8年,而自己,居然等了她8年。哪怕她从未知道自己的爱恋,哪怕他追求者众多……可是,等等……陈依茉已是别人的未婚妻?! 但是,谈到未婚夫时,陈依茉的脸上分明写满了无奈与愁怨,而张至源和她四目相对时,她的目光里却含情脉脉。而且,他们还听到了彼此抑制不住的心跳……
  • 凤惊武尘

    凤惊武尘

    一个少年在机缘巧合之下还在母体时受到凤凰精血的滋养,出生后天赋异禀,身体发生变异,体内生有三味火焰,一路披荆斩棘,展开强者的道路!
  • 原罪上帝

    原罪上帝

    “我们是傲慢,也是谦卑;是嫉妒,也是宽容;是暴怒,也是勇敢;是懒惰,也是勤奋;是贪婪,也是慷慨;是贪食,也是节制;是色欲,也是贞洁。”“我们是最圣洁的天使,也是最恶毒的魔鬼。”“我们是,人类。”
  • 莽荒神剑

    莽荒神剑

    人有不同,世间万物有轮回。天地万物,五行所生,也必将相生相克,世界分割,化为四郡,东、西、南、北。乃四国也。修真世界争斗从未停止过。现世的两个少年,因机缘巧合而进入异世......
  • 天降萌宝,前夫请让步!

    天降萌宝,前夫请让步!

    她,从小寄人篱下,继母从未给她吃过一顿饱饭。他,穆氏家族三少,人人都以为他是养尊处优的阔少爷,可却有着一段不堪回首的童年。她嫁他,是因为继母把她卖给了他,可从此,她受到的却是所有人讽刺而嫉妒的眼光。可只有她自己心里清楚,这不过是一场公平的交易罢了,无关爱情。那个风雨交加的夜晚,雷鸣和闪电交织,他就好似地狱的撒旦,欺身而上,粗粝的大掌抚摩着她细致入微的脸颊,“阮心,我穆思辰难道还比不上那个废人安凡?!”她禁闭着双眼不愿看他,倔强的脸上写满不屑。那一夜,他不顾怀孕三个月的她,与她抵死缠绵,她却执拗到一滴眼泪都没有留下。直到医生告诉他如果再行房事胎儿会不保,怀胎十月,接下来的七个月穆思辰再也没有出现过,却总能在电视上看到他与各种女明星的绯闻。她一笑而过。***生产那天,他仍未露面,只是命人把生下的孩子抱走,她甚至连孩子的一眼都没有看到!他不顾刚生完孩子的她是否需要调理,狠心将她逐出穆宅,她发誓,此生不与“豪门”二字沾上半点关系!***一别五年已逝。阴暗的楼道间里,他薄凉的唇瓣死死地堵住了她,辗转反侧,抵死缠绵??她冷声道,“穆先生,我们是什么关系?就做这种亲密的动作?”虽时隔五年,他对她的伤害却就好像还在昨天一样。她永远都不会忘记,他抱走孩子时不带一丝感情的眼睛,深邃莫测他要的,从来都只是脐带血,至于孩子的死活,与他何干?***“阮心,你就真的一点都不在乎你的儿子了吗。”他笃定地勾起了唇。当一个女人有了孩子,这就是她一生的软肋。她瞪着双眼对上他的墨眸,“穆思辰,别忘了,他也是你的儿子!”“我要的,从来都只是你。”
  • 最强用兵

    最强用兵

    一代武神魂穿都市,加入佣兵团,开启一段装逼打脸顺便泡泡妞的多彩生活!冷艳女总裁、甜美校花、妩媚女警、可爱萝莉...看着一个个如狼似虎,林瑞泽吞咽口水道:“你们别过来,我很纯洁的!”