METAPHYSICS. 
and fcliolaftic precifion; are properties, which, while 
they contribute- to the perfection of the fcience, will 
undoubtedly be injurious to the reception of the work 
itfelf. 
“ Every one is not endowed with the gift of writing 
fo fubtilely, and at the lame time in fo captivating a man¬ 
ner, as Hume, or fo foundly, and yet fo elegantly, as 
Mofes Mendelfohn ; I flatter myfelf, however, I could 
have given popularity to my liyle, had it been my de- 
flgn merely to form a plan and recommend its execution 
to others, and had I felt lefs at heart the good of the 
fcience which has fo long occupied me. It does indeed 
require great perfeverance, and no little felf-denial, to 
give up the gratification of an immediate favorable re¬ 
ception for the prolpett of a late, though tailing, appro¬ 
bation. 
“ To form plans is frequently a mere luxurious and 
oftentatious employment of the mind, which, with the 
air of an inventive genius, requires what it is unable to 
perform, cenfures what it cannot amend, and fets others 
upon the learch for what it does not itfelf know where 
to find. Neverthelel's, to form a gocd plan merely of a 
General Critic of Reafon requires fomething more than 
may be imagined, unlefs indeed it is to confilt, as is 
ulually the cafe, of mere declamation and good wiihes. 
Pure Reafon is fo inliilated, and fo thoroughly connected 
within itfelf, that we cannot touch upon a fingle point 
without affeCling every other, and can eftablifh no one 
pact permanently without ailigning to every other its 
proper place and influence upon the whole ; for, as there 
is nothing exterior to this fcience that can aflift in rec¬ 
tifying our judgment concerning its contents, the va¬ 
lidity and the ufe of every part muff depend entirely 
upon the relation in wdiich it Hands to the reft; juft as, 
in examining the HruCture of an organized body, the 
ufe of eaqh organ can only be inferred from a complete 
conception of the whole. Hence we may fay of a Critic 
of Pure Reafon, that it could not be relied upon unlefs 
it be completely elaborated to its minuteft elements ; and 
therefore, that, if the whole is not accomplifned, we have 
done nothing at all. 
“ Notwithllanding, however, that fucli a plan, were it 
poffible that it could have appeared prior to the Critic 
itfelf, would have been unintelligible and ufelefs, yet, 
coming after the Critic, it is of the greateft advantage, 
flnce it will enable us to overlook the whole, and to examine 
feparately the principal points upon which it depends. 
“ The plan which I here offer fucceeds to the work 
itfelf, and may therefore proceed now according to an 
analytical method, though the original work was formed 
fynthetically, as indeed it was neceffary that it fliould, 
in order that the fcience might exhibit all the articula¬ 
tions in the organization of this peculiar faculty of know¬ 
ledge. Thole who find even this plan obfcure, which I here 
place as an Introduction to all future Metaphyfics, fhould 
confider, that it is not exactly neceffary for every one to ffudy 
Metaphyfics; that many men poffel's talents, well calcu¬ 
lated to lucceed in ufeful and even difficult l'ciences, which 
come nearer to intuition ; but fail in enquiries that relate 
to mere abftraCt conceptions ; and that it is better for 
them to apply their intellectual exertions to other ob¬ 
jects. But he who fhall hereafter undertake to decide 
upon, or to conftruCt, a new fyflem of Metaphyfics, muff 
■dofolutely Jatisfy thofe demands, which are here made upon 
him. He mult either adopt my folution, or refute it. alto¬ 
gether, and Jubffitute another in its place; from this he 
cannot he excufed.” 
In the preceding obfervations, fpeaking of the fate 
which the “ Critic” is likely to experience on account 
of its being mifunderftood, Kant fays, it will be confi- 
dered dry and obfcure, becaul'e it contradicts all the 
received opinions 5 that it will not be lludied, a'nd that all 
will remain as if nothing had been done. Could this ve¬ 
nerable lage revifit the earth at the prefent moment, and 
fee what influence his fyflem has produced all over the 
211 
northern parts of Germany, or could he behold the effeCt 
it mull have in all civilized nations, where I will venture 
to predict that it wfill fhortly infufe itfelf into the elemen¬ 
tary part of the education of the rifing generation, 
what feelings would warm his heart! The truth of this 
prediction may obtain fome fupport from obferving 
what has actually taken place in Affronomy. The young 
mind is now early inftruCted in conclufions which, three 
hundred years ago, would have been deemed heretical; 
and the lyilems that then prevailed are funk for ever in 
oblivion. 
It is extremely pleafing to obferve the candour with 
which our immortal philofopher has refcued the character 
of Hume from the cenfures and attacks lavillied upon 
him by his enemies, who mifunderftood his aim. “ Hume,” 
fays Kant, “ might lay claim to a found underftanding, 
as well as Reid, Ofwald, Beattie, and Prieftley. But in 
truth he poflefled more; he proved that he had a Critical 
Reafon, which knew how to keep commonfenfe within its 
proper limits, and to prevent it from lofing itfelf in vain 
fpeculations.” Thus is the reputation of this deep-think¬ 
ing man for ever relieved from the imputation of atheilm. 
As Engliftnnen, we can never lofe fight of the ffiare Hume 
has had in haftening at leaft the conftruCtion of this 
ftupendous fabric. 
I am not aware of a more effectual way of contributing 
to the promulgation, inveftigation, and ultimate efta- 
blilhment, of the Science of Transcendental Philo¬ 
sophy, than the one I have here adopted. In a former 
part of this work, (vol. i. p. 607.) under the title of “ Ah- 
Jiraft of the Critical Philofophy ,” the reader will find a 
concife account of the Elements of the Mind, together 
with a particular defcription of the functions and opera¬ 
tions of the three primitive and original faculties, Rea¬ 
son, Understanding, and Sense. It is there alfo 
endeavoured to dilplay not only the moft important 
points of this Celebrated fyflem, but alfo to fliow that 
its ultimate end is the eftabliftnnent of a Perfect Sys¬ 
tem of Morals on the firm bafis of purepraistical Rea¬ 
fon, which will for ever bid defiance to all attacks of 
Sophiftry, Atheifm, and Fatalifm. 
At the commencement of the 13th volume of this 
work, and with a view to facilitate the ftudent who en- 
gages in “ Critical Philosophy,” I have given a 
“ Pure universal Logic,” founded upon the great dif- 
coveries of Tranfcendental Philofophy. This Logic is a 
pure fcience, and treats of the mere Form of Knowledge, 
leaving its Matter to be conlidered by Tranfcendental 
Philofophy. All the rules of thinking will there be found 
to be thoroughly inveftigated, and the only legitimate 
mode of Categorical Conclufion fully eftablilhed, which 
is the liigheft principle of Reafoning. The relative im¬ 
portance of Induct ion and Analogy are clearly pointed 
out, and an accurate definition of judgment in general 
is given, which is the grand delideratum to all Logic. 
I have no heiitation in faying, that this Logic ought 
to be adopted in all our Univerlities and public femina- 
ries; for, by early inftru Cling the young mind to form 
accurate conceptions of the various compounds of Know¬ 
ledge, all the apparent difficulties in their combination 
will eafily be unravelled. I have attempted further to 
elucidate this Logic for the exprefs purpofe of the in- 
ltruCtion of youth, by Diagrams, which indeed alone 
are calculated to furniffi a very compreheniive view of 
the fubjeCt, and greatly to ailift the ftudent. 
This Logic is the only one extant that is' not perplexed 
with conliderations quite foreign to the fubjeCt. It ex¬ 
cludes alfo all the fubtilties and fophiftry which have fo 
long found a place in the Logic of the Schools. We 
mull not forget that logical perfection is the bafis of all 
other perfection : for what can be faid of any argument 
that is deficient in this ? I cannot therefore lupprefs the 
fanguine expectation that “ Kant's Logic,” like “Eu¬ 
clid's Elements," will ihortly be the only book reforted 
to upon the fubjeCt. 
2 la 
