KAN 
K A O 
Conclusion. 
Having feen that the higheft point to which “ Tran¬ 
scendental Philosophy” leads is the eftabliftiment ot a 
perfect Syftem of Morals upon the immutable bafis of Pure 
Practical Reafon, it can no longer be a queftion why we 
fhould engage in “fuck abjlrufe J'peculations for it were 
better to alk why we lhould ftudy any thing at all. Man 
cannot be indifferent with refpefttohis moral nature; tor, 
if he confiders this as unworthy his attention, lie relin- 
quifhes at once all claim to the proud diftinCtion of a 
Rational Being, and reduces himfelf to a level with the 
brutes who are governed by mere inftinft. Hitherto it 
has been a reproach to Metaphysics, and to the Philofo- 
piiy of the Human Mind, that it has always made large 
promifes, which have as uniformly ended in abfolute no- 
thingnefs. This reproach was not only perfectly juft, but 
it could not be otherwife ; for how could a folid luper- 
Jtrufture be railed upon a vifionary bale? Metaphyfics 
had not one principle to boaft of, that was not involved in 
a cloud of fophiftry ; the refult of courfe could be nothing 
elte but jargon. No Philofophy of the Human Mind 
could in a clear manner point out the difference between 
the three primitive faculties. Though every body felt 
confcious that Man is endowed with Reafon, and thus 
diitinguilhed from the Brutes, yet no philofophy could 
explain in a fatisfaftory manner wherein this diftinClion con- 
fifted, or even define thofe ljeceflary forms ot the mind Time 
and Space. The greateft efforts always terminated in dis¬ 
appointed hope and confcious uncertainty. The confe- 
quence was, that “ Natural Philofophy” became the fa¬ 
vourite ftudy, becaufe it teemed to produce a fatisfaClion 
in its refults, which were acknowledged by the teftimony 
of the Senfes. The cultivation of this l'cience feemed to 
improve the happinefs ot the individual, and to bring na¬ 
ture itfelf under the command of man, by the aftoniihing 
difcoveries in Aftronomy, Chemiftry, Mechanics, Naviga¬ 
tion, See. Hence Metaphyfics were not only neglected, 
but abfolutely difearded ; and whoever occupied himfelf 
with the contemplation of objects inacceflible to the fenfes 
was branded with the approbrious name of a Mctaphyjician. 
Such has been the ftate of Metaphyfics from the time of 
Plato and Ariftotle, dowm to that of the immortal Kant. 
It was referved for that great luminary of the 18th century 
not only to correct the errors of his predeceffors, but actu¬ 
ally to found a philofophy upon principles not in the 
leaft inferior to thofe of the Mathematics, for the jultnefs 
of their deduction and the confcioufnefs of their immu¬ 
table truth. Kant’s philofophy of the Human Mind can 
boaft with truth that it contains the precife number and 
Equalities of all the elements of the Mind, and may defy 
future ages either to add or take away one without the 
coiifequent deitruCtion of the whole It might juft 
as well be expeCted that hereafter men fhould be able to 
compofe a triangle with only two ltraight lines, or that 
four ltraight lines fnould be required for that purpofe. 
Time can never change the nature of a triangle; it was as 
perfeCt two thoufand years ago as at the prefent day. 
Time will never be able to add a thirteenth Category to 
the Human Mind, nor ever prove that eleven only are re- 
-quifite. The faculty of Underltanding confifts of neither 
more nor lefs than twelve Categories, and Truth will al¬ 
ways remain Truth. Thefe immenl'e difcoveries have 
not only for ever fet at reft all the fophiftical arguments 
of Speculative Reafon, by limiting each faculty of the 
Human Mind to its own proper field ; but they have ac¬ 
tually led to refults far exceeding any thing that could at 
the firit view have been expeCted from them. For, by an 
accurate analyfis of Reafon, we have obtained a firm, im¬ 
mutable, and pure, bafe, whereon to raife the fuperltruc- 
ture of a Perfect Moral Syftem, and that fo entrenched as 
to bid defiance fon ever to the attacks of fophiftry. 
All the boafted powers that man has gained by the im¬ 
provements in modern Phyfics muft indeed fnrink before 
that vaji pouter which he has derived from the improve¬ 
ments in modern Metaphyfics.—The point which Archi- 
-tnedes required to fix his lever upon, in order to move the 
Vol. XI. No. 7$i. 
C)2V 
world, the immortal Kant has actually difeovered. This 
point is Pure Practical Reason, which lifts Man out 
of the Sphere of Nature, that is, out of Time and Space, 
and connects him as a Rational Being to the moral 
world. We now find ourfelves therefore polieHed of a 
power before which all nature fhrinks, and by which 
alone we can obtain the dominion over ourfelves. 
All former Metaphyfics muft now for ever difappear, 
and be remembered only as having led to the prefent; 
in the fame manner as the Syftem of Vortices is now forgot¬ 
ten, and Newton’s immutable law of gravitation occu¬ 
pies its place; in the fame manner as Tycho’s Aftronomy, 
now funk in oblivion, gave way to the mafs of Truth 
concentrated in the Copernican Syftem ; or as the pueriie 
efforts of the ancient chemifts fhrinlc when compared with 
the Herculean ftrides of the moderns. Thus muft all former 
attempts in Metaphyfics bow to the Modern invention of 
“Transcendental Philosophy.” Nor can time add 
any thing to the conviction of its Truth-, for no time can 
make truth more true.—Twice two has always been four, 
and will for ever remain four. 
If it has hitherto been afked in derifion, What has the 
Philojophy of the Human Mind ever effected ? May we not 
now exclaim with the greateft confidence. What is there not. 
reafon to expefl from fo fublime a Jludy,Jince the happy difeovery 
of its genuine elements! 
Should the fketch of Critical Philofophy here given be 
fortunate enough to awaken the curiolity and direct the 
attention of thofe who take delight in fuch ftudies to the 
invaluable works of Kant, the end for which it was writ¬ 
ten will be fully anlwered. If however it fhould entirely 
fail of accomplilhing this object, it ltill may be confidered 
as a tribute of the molt fincere refpeCt to the memory of 
the great and excellent founder of this vaft and profound 
fyftem, the ever-to-be-revered Immanuel Kant. 
No. 68, St. James’s-llreet, Thomas Wirgman. 
London.Jan. 23, 1812. 
For further information relative to the Critical Philo¬ 
fophy the reader may confult, Kantii Opera ad Philolo- 
phiam Criticam, Lat. vertit Fred. Gott. Born. Lipfire, 
1796. Critics: Rationis Puras Expofitio Syftematica. C. 
F. A. Schmidt-Phifeldek. Hafnite, 1796. The Principles 
of Critical Philofophy, by James Sigifmund Beck, (Englifh 
Tranf.) 1797; London, Johnfon and Richardlon ; Ham¬ 
burgh, B. G. Hoffmann. Effays and Treatifes, (Englifh 
Tranf.) 1798; London, W. Richardlon. The Metaphy¬ 
fics of Morals, vol. i. Elements of Law, vol. ii. Elements 
of Ethics, (Englifh Tranf.) 1799, London. F. A. Nitfch’s 
General and Introductory View of Profeifor Kant’s Prin¬ 
ciples concerning Man, the World, and the Deity, See. 
1796; Downs, Strand, London. Dr. Willich’s Elements 
of the Critical Philofophy, 1798 ; Loud. Longman. 
Charles Villers’s Philofopliie de Kant, 1801; Metz, Col- 
lignon; Lond. Deboffe. H. P. Imhoff’s Obfervations fur 
le Sentiment du Beau et du Sublime, traduit de l’Aliemand 
de Kant. 
We hope to be enabled to give our fpeculative readers 
more interefting matter refulting from the difcoveries of 
Kant, under the various articles of Logic, Moral Phi¬ 
losophy, Metaphysics, Sec. &c. 
KANT, in geography. See Canth, vol. iii. 
KAN'TERA, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of 
Tunis : fourteen miles north of Tunis. 
KAN'TO, a town of Japan, in the ifland of Niphon s 
140 miles weft of Meaco. 
KAN'TOR, a country of Africa, on the fouth fide of 
the Gambia, with a capital of the fame name. 
KANTURK', a market and polt town of the county of 
Cork, and province of Munfter, Ireland, fltuated on the 
river Dalua : 125 miles fouth-weft from Dublin, and 4, 
fouth-eaft from Newmarket. 
KAN'TREF, f. [from the Brit.] The divifion of a 
county; a hundred in Wales. Scott. 
KANWA'RAH, a town of Hindooftan, in the circar 
of Gurrah : thirty miles fouth of Mahur. 
KA'O, one of the Friendly Hands, in the South Pa- 
7 X cific 
