Causation; Knowledge, Theory of; Philosophy, German; Reason
This transcendental principle of the mathematics of phenomena greatly
enlarges our à priori cognition. For it is by this principle alone that
pure mathematics is rendered applicable in all its precision to objects
of experience, and without it the validity of this application would
not be so self-evident; on the contrary, contradictions and confusions
have often arisen on this very point. Phenomena are not things in
themselves. Empirical intuition is possible only through pure intuition
(of space and time); consequently, what geometry affirms of the latter,
is indisputably valid of the former. All evasions, such as the
statement that objects of sense do not conform to the rules of
construction in space (for example, to the rule of the infinite
divisibility of lines or angles), must fall to the ground. For, if
these objections hold good, we deny to space, and with it to all
mathematics, objective validity, and no longer know wherefore, and how
far, mathematics can be applied to phenomena. The synthesis of spaces
and times as the essential form of all intuition, is that which renders
possible the apprehension of a phenomenon, and therefore every external
experience, consequently all cognition of the objects of experience;
and whatever mathematics in its pure use proves of the former, must
necessarily hold good of the latter. All objections are but the
chicaneries of an ill-instructed reason, which erroneously thinks to
liberate the objects of sense from the formal conditions of our
sensibility, and represents these, although mere phenomena, as things
in themselves, presented as such to our understanding. But in this
case, no à priori synthetical cognition of them could be possible,
consequently not through pure conceptions of space and the science
which determines these conceptions, that is to say, geometry, would
itself be impossible.
2. ANTICIPATIONS OF PERCEPTION.
The principle of these is: In all phenomena the Real, that which is an
object of sensation, has Intensive Quantity, that is, has a Degree.
PROOF.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account