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the critique of pure reason-第143章

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the world (and not as a world soul); eternity (free from conditions of

time); omnipresence (free from conditions of space); omnipotence;

and others; are pure transcendental predicates; and thus the

accurate conception of a Supreme Being; which every theology requires;

is furnished by transcendental theology alone。

APPENDIX

                        APPENDIX。



        Of the Regulative Employment of the Ideas of

                      Pure Reason。



  The result of all the dialectical attempts of pure reason not only

confirms the truth of what we have already proved in our

Transcendental Analytic; namely; that all inferences which would

lead us beyond the limits of experience are fallacious and groundless;

but it at the same time teaches us this important lesson; that human

reason has a natural inclination to overstep these limits; and that

transcendental ideas are as much the natural property of the reason as

categories are of the understanding。 There exists this difference;

however; that while the categories never mislead us; outward objects

being always in perfect harmony therewith; ideas are the parents of

irresistible illusions; the severest and most subtle criticism being

required to save us from the fallacies which they induce。

  Whatever is grounded in the nature of our powers will be found to be

in harmony with the final purpose and proper employment of these

powers; when once we have discovered their true direction and aim。

We are entitled to suppose; therefore; that there exists a mode of

employing transcendental ideas which is proper and immanent; although;

when we mistake their meaning; and regard them as conceptions of

actual things; their mode of application is transcendent and delusive。

For it is not the idea itself; but only the employment of the idea

in relation to possible experience; that is transcendent or

immanent。 An idea is employed transcendently; when it is applied to an

object falsely believed to be adequate with and to correspond to it;

imminently; when it is applied solely to the employment of the

understanding in the sphere of experience。 Thus all errors of

subreptio… of misapplication; are to be ascribed to defects of

judgement; and not to understanding or reason。

  Reason never has an immediate relation to an object; it relates

immediately to the understanding alone。 It is only through the

understanding that it can be employed in the field of experience。 It

does not form conceptions of objects; it merely arranges them and

gives to them that unity which they are capable of possessing when the

sphere of their application has been extended as widely as possible。

Reason avails itself of the conception of the understanding for the

sole purpose of producing totality in the different series。 This

totality the understanding does not concern itself with; its only

occupation is the connection of experiences; by which series of

conditions in accordance with conceptions are established。 The

object of reason is; therefore; the understanding and its proper

destination。 As the latter brings unity into the diversity of

objects by means of its conceptions; so the former brings unity into

the diversity of conceptions by means of ideas; as it sets the final

aim of a collective unity to the operations of the understanding;

which without this occupies itself with a distributive unity alone。

  I accordingly maintain that transcendental ideas can never be

employed as constitutive ideas; that they cannot be conceptions of

objects; and that; when thus considered; they assume a fallacious

and dialectical character。 But; on the other hand; they are capable of

an admirable and indispensably necessary application to objects… as

regulative ideas; directing the understanding to a certain aim; the

guiding lines towards which all its laws follow; and in which they all

meet in one point。 This point… though a mere idea (focus imaginarius);

that is; not a point from which the conceptions of the understanding

do really proceed; for it lies beyond the sphere of possible

experience… serves; notwithstanding; to give to these conceptions

the greatest possible unity combined with the greatest possible

extension。 Hence arises the natural illusion which induces us to

believe that these lines proceed from an object which lies out of

the sphere of empirical cognition; just as objects reflected in a

mirror appear to be behind it。 But this illusion… which we may

hinder from imposing upon us… is necessary and unavoidable; if we

desire to see; not only those objects which lie before us; but those

which are at a great distance behind us; that is to say; when; in

the present case; we direct the aims of the understanding; beyond

every given experience; towards an extension as great as can

possibly be attained。

  If we review our cognitions in their entire extent; we shall find

that the peculiar business of reason is to arrange them into a system;

that is to say; to give them connection according to a principle。 This

unity presupposes an idea… the idea of the form of a whole (of

cognition); preceding the determinate cognition of the parts; and

containing the conditions which determine a priori to every part its

place and relation to the other parts of the whole system。 This

idea; accordingly; demands complete unity in the cognition of the

understanding… not the unity of a contingent aggregate; but that of

a system connected according to necessary laws。 It cannot be

affirmed with propriety that this idea is a conception of an object;

it is merely a conception of the complete unity of the conceptions

of objects; in so far as this unity is available to the

understanding as a rule。 Such conceptions of reason are not derived

from nature; on the contrary; we employ them for the interrogation and

investigation of nature; and regard our cognition as defective so long

as it is not adequate to them。 We admit that such a thing as pure

earth; pure water; or pure air; is not to be discovered。 And yet we

require these conceptions (which have their origin in the reason; so

far as regards their absolute purity and completeness) for the purpose

of determining the share which each of these natural causes has in

every phenomenon。 Thus the different kinds of matter are all ref erred

to earths; as mere weight; to salts and inflammable bodies; as pure

force; and finally; to water and air; as the vehicula of the former;

or the machines employed by them in their operations… for the

purpose of explaining the chemical action and reaction of bodies in

accordance with the idea of a mechanism。 For; although not actually so

expressed; the influence of such ideas of reason is very observable in

the procedure of natural philosophers。

  If reason is the faculty of deducing the particular from the

general; and if the general be certain in se and given; it is only

necessary that the judgement should subsume the particular under the

general; the particular being thus ne
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