K A 
is the Tranfcendental, or only true, Philofophy, in perfeCt 
harmony with plain common fenfe. 
As the comprehending this fubjeet clearly is of the 
liigheft importance to the underftandittg of the whole 
Critical System, it may be further illuftrated thus : 
Sense begets Intuitions ; Understanding begets Concep¬ 
tions-, and Reason deduces one judgment from another. 
When our external fenfe is impreiled by fomething exte¬ 
rior to the mind, this occafions an aft'eCtion of our recep¬ 
tivity. The caufe of this aft'eCtion we denominate Nou- 
tnenon, or the thing in itfelf, of which we know nothing; 
nay, we cannot even form the flighted: conception of it. 
The effect prod uced, or the very affection itfelf, is fenfation 
in Space, whole parts co-exift; which is the given matter 
of all real fubftantial Knowledge. For, when we analyze 
our notion of matter, we find it confifts of parts that lie 
one by the Jide of and near another, that rill up Space, and can¬ 
not be annihilated. Therefore matter is fenfation blended 
with the form of external fenfe, or Space ; and becomes 
material fubftance by being connected by the Category 
Subfance,, whofe fchema is perdurability of Jenfaticns in time ; 
that is, in every material fubftance there is fomething 
that lafts in time, and which has properties that change 
in time. Now, when our internal fenfe is affeCted, which 
can only be done by the operations of the mind itfelf that is. 
Spontaneity in connecting the affections of our external 
fenfe, affects our internal fenfe from within, and this oc¬ 
cafions a fenfation in time, whofe parts do not co-exift, 
but follow one after another in fricl fuccejjion, that is, fill up 
a portion of time, and have a beginning, middle, and end. 
Therefore Reality is fenfation, blended with the form of in¬ 
ternal lenl'e or time, and connected by the Category Rea¬ 
lity, whofe fchema is a degree in general, or quantity of be¬ 
ing in time, which reprelents a Reality in general limited 
by negations,' and is the moll general conception of a 
fenfible reality. It implies fomething that arile9 in time, 
lafts for fome moments, and vanilhes in time. Thus a 
Reality is conftituted that did not exift from eternity, but 
had a beginning, middle, and end. 
It mult be well underltood that Tranfcendental Philo¬ 
fophy cannot be reprefented by conceptions taken from 
the objeCls difeovered in the mind, but can only be repre¬ 
fented originally ; that is to lay, we mull go to the fad itfelf, 
and determine with clear confcioufnefs that it is a faCl, 
and, being fo, cannot be otherwife ; for example, the faCl 
that Senfe is internal and external, that its forms are 
Time and Space, which is the ground of Intuitions, that 
Underftanding confifts of the twelve Categories, which are 
twelve fynthetic powers, whofe joint effects conftitute the 
Jyntketic objective unity of confcioifnefs, which is the ground 
of poffibility of all conceptions that are formed by the 
rqind. This being the faCl, we have nothing more to do 
titan to admit it. The queltion is now perfectly infigni- 
ficant, why there are juft twelve Categories, and neither 
more nor fewer. Such is the fimple faCl. 
This Explanation of the logical ufe of Underftanding 
completely limits and confines all the operations of Judg¬ 
ment to the view of the phenomena as things in them- 
felves. But this is exaClly the Dogmatical Station, whofe 
principle is, that the things are in themfelves as they appear to 
us, that is, extended and jigured bodies. The very elfence of 
JDogmatifm is, that it does not fearcli to the bottom for 
truth, but is content to aft'ume things, and confider them 
true. It now remains to be feen what pure reafon has to 
do with our Knowledge. 
REASON 
is the Power of forming Ideas. 
An Idea has nothing to do with Time and Space. It 
is a Unity produced by Reafon from a variety that is ex¬ 
empt from the conditions of Time and Space. This va¬ 
riety is the Categories which are not in Time and Space. 
Reafon is the third or highelt degree of' Mental Spon¬ 
taneity. Its action confifts, like that of Underftanding, 
in connecting a Variety into a Unity. As Intuitions are 
Vol.JQ. No. 781. 
N T. Gir 
connected by the underftanding into Conceptions, and as 
there is nothing in the mind for reafon to conned except 
Conceptions, it follows that Reafon can conned our con¬ 
ceptions only. But, as thefe are either pure or empirical, 
the Ideas which reafon produces by connecting them 
mult be either pure or empirical. As Reafon connects con¬ 
ceptions, it mu ft of courfe conneCt their forms, which is 
the molt remarkable and effential part of them; (for their 
matter is mere intuition ;) and, as the Categories are the 
molt general forms of all conceptions, Realbn will' of 
courfe conneCt the Categories. Now the Categories are a 
certain modification of the Spontaneity; that is, they are 
modes of aCting, and are diltinCt from Time and Space, 
which are modes of receiving given varieties; therefore the 
Chtegories are the very matter or variety of which Reafon pro¬ 
duces a unity ; and, as this matter or variety is free from 
the conditions of Time and Space, it is no wonder that 
the unity or Idea produced by Reafon fiiould alfo be ex¬ 
empt from thofe conditions that circumfcribe a Thing in 
Time and Space. The Ideas of Reafon then, being exempt 
from the conditions of a Thing in Time and Space, mult 
of courfe be unconditioned, or abfclute. They are alfo a 
priori ; that is, the roots from which they (hoot up lie in 
Realbn, and Reafon which produces them is pure reafon. 
The form of Senfe confifts of a variety, whofe parts lie 
one without another. The form of Under/landing alio con¬ 
fifts of a variety, but very unlike that of lenl'e, for it is the 
different modes of conneEling, and is not reftrained to Time 
and Space; that is to fay, it is an unconditioned variety. 
But it is this variety that reafon connects into a unity, 
in order to form an Idea ; confequently an Idea has no¬ 
thing to do with Time and Space, but is unconditioned or 
abfolute. 
Reafon connects the Categories of Quantity, which are 
Unity, Multitude, and Totality, fo as to produce an Idea, 
which involves unconditioned Totality. The totalities in Time 
and Space are circumlcribed by limits that are Time and 
Space alfo ; thefe limits have again limits of the fame na¬ 
ture, lo that we may go on ad infinitum, and never arrive 
at an abfolute totality in Time and Space. Reafon alone, 
by connecting a variety that is not in Time and Space, 
is enabled to produce the idea of an abfolute totality, which , 
though it contains no knowledge of things, yet ferves to render a 
conclufon pojjible, to regulate our knowledge, and to induce us to 
pufii it as far as we are able. 
Reafon, by connecting the Categories of Quality, which 
are Reality, Negation, and Limitation, produces the idea, 
of an unconditioned Limitation. Every reality in time is li¬ 
mited by negations. It is a variety whole parts can be 
meafured by degrees only ; but the degrees ih fuch a va¬ 
riety have degrees that are / mailer ; thefe degrees have 
others fill fmailer-, fo that we may, in our thoughts, di¬ 
vide the degrees as far as we pleale, and we Ihall find no 
end to the divifion. Every degree, therefore, in a reality 
in time, is conditioned ; it depends upon another degree, 
and fo on. Reafon requires abfolute totality in this leries 
of degrees, and, therefore, forms an idea of unconditioned 
limitation, or of a limitation no longer depending upon 
other limits. 
Realbn, by connecting the Categories of Relation, pro¬ 
duces the following ideas: 
Firfi, That of an abfolute Subftance. The fubftances in 
time and fpace are merely collections of properties, which 
in a judgment are made the predicates of a fubjeet; but, 
on analyzing the fubjeCt, \ve find that it likewife contains 
a mere collection of properties which are found in ano¬ 
ther l'ubjecl; and fo we may proceed ad infinitum. But, 
as properties cannot fublift by themfelves, and mult be 
grounded in fomething which has an exiftence of its own, 
Reafon, which requires totality in a leries of depending 
properties, forms the idea of an abfolute fubflance, which 
cannot be any longer the mere predicate of another, but 
which contains the ultimate ground of the inhering pre¬ 
dicates. 
Secondly, The idea of an abfolute Caufe. In the world 
. -7 S of ■ 
