Causation; Knowledge, Theory of; Philosophy, German; Reason
We have now not only traversed the region of the pure understanding and
carefully surveyed every part of it, but we have also measured it, and
assigned to everything therein its proper place. But this land is an
island, and enclosed by nature herself within unchangeable limits. It
is the land of truth (an attractive word), surrounded by a wide and
stormy ocean, the region of illusion, where many a fog-bank, many an
iceberg, seems to the mariner, on his voyage of discovery, a new
country, and, while constantly deluding him with vain hopes, engages
him in dangerous adventures, from which he never can desist, and which
yet he never can bring to a termination. But before venturing upon this
sea, in order to explore it in its whole extent, and to arrive at a
certainty whether anything is to be discovered there, it will not be
without advantage if we cast our eyes upon the chart of the land that
we are about to leave, and to ask ourselves, firstly, whether we cannot
rest perfectly contented with what it contains, or whether we must not
of necessity be contented with it, if we can find nowhere else a solid
foundation to build upon; and, secondly, by what title we possess this
land itself, and how we hold it secure against all hostile claims?
Although, in the course of our analytic, we have already given
sufficient answers to these questions, yet a summary recapitulation of
these solutions may be useful in strengthening our conviction, by
uniting in one point the momenta of the arguments.
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