友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

the critique of practical reason-第23部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!


istence of finite and derived beings; but not to that of the infinite Supreme Being; I do not see on what ground they can justify such a distinction; or; indeed; how they can avoid the contradiction that meets them; when they hold that existence in time is an attribute necessarily belonging to finite things in themselves; whereas God is the cause of this existence; but cannot be the cause of time (or space) itself (since this must be presupposed as a necessary a priori condition of the existence of things); and consequently as regards the existence of these things。 His causality must be subject to conditions and even to the condition of time; and this would inevitably bring in everything contradictory to the notions of His infinity and independence。 On the other hand; it is quite easy for us to draw the distinction between the attribute of the divine existence of being independent on all time…conditions; and that of a being of the world of sense; the distinction being that between the existence of a being in itself and that of a thing in appearance。 Hence; if this ideality of time and space is not adopted; nothing remains but Spinozism; in which space and time are essential attributes of the Supreme Being Himself; and the things dependent on Him (ourselves; therefore; included) are not substances; but merely accidents inhering in Him; since; if these things as His effects exist in time only; this being the condition of their existence in themselves; then the actions of these beings must be simply His actions which He performs in some place and time。 Thus; Spinozism; in spite of the absurdity of its fundamental idea; argues more consistently than the creation theory can; when beings assumed to be substances; and beings in themselves existing in time; are regarded as effects of a Supreme Cause; and yet as not 'belonging' to Him and His action; but as separate substances。   The above…mentioned difficulty is resolved briefly and clearly as follows: If existence in time is a mere sensible mode of representation belonging to thinking beings in the world and consequently does not apply to them as things in themselves; then the creation of these beings is a creation of things in themselves; since the notion of creation does not belong to the sensible form of representation of existence or to causality; but can only be referred to noumena。 Consequently; when I say of beings in the world of sense that they are created; I so far regard them as noumena。 As it would be a contradiction; therefore; to say that God is a creator of appearances; so also it is a contradiction to say that as creator He is the cause of actions in the world of sense; and therefore as appearances; although He is the cause of the existence of the acting beings (which are noumena)。 If now it is possible to affirm freedom in spite of the natural mechanism of actions as appearances (by regarding existence in time as something that belongs only to appearances; not to things in themselves); then the circumstance that the acting beings are creatures cannot make the slightest difference; since creation concerns their supersensible and not their sensible existence; and; therefore; cannot be regarded as the determining principle of the appearances。 It would be quite different if the beings in the world as things in themselves existed in time; since in that case the creator of substance would be at the same time the author of the whole mechanism of this substance。   Of so great importance is the separation of time (as well as space) from the existence of things in themselves which was effected in the Critique of the Pure Speculative Reason。   It may be said that the solution here proposed involves great difficulty in itself and is scarcely susceptible of a lucid exposition。 But is any other solution that has been attempted; or that may be attempted; easier and more intelligible? Rather might we say that the dogmatic teachers of metaphysics have shown more shrewdness than candour in keeping this difficult point out of sight as much as possible; in the hope that if they said nothing about it; probably no one would think of it。 If science is to be advanced; all difficulties must be laid open; and we must even search for those that are hidden; for every difficulty calls forth a remedy; which cannot be discovered without science gaining either in extent or in exactness; and thus even obstacles become means of increasing the thoroughness of science。 On the other hand; if the difficulties are intentionally concealed; or merely removed by palliatives; then sooner or later they burst out into incurable mischiefs; which bring science to ruin in an absolute scepticism。   Since it is; properly speaking; the notion of freedom alone amongst all the ideas of pure speculative reason that so greatly enlarges our knowledge in the sphere of the supersensible; though only of our practical knowledge; I ask myself why it exclusively possesses so great fertility; whereas the others only designate the vacant space for possible beings of the pure understanding; but are unable by any means to define the concept of them。 I presently find that as I cannot think anything without a category; I must first look for a category for the rational idea of freedom with which I am now concerned; and this is the category of causality; and although freedom; a concept of the reason; being a transcendent concept; cannot have any intuition corresponding to it; yet the concept of the understanding… for the synthesis of which the former demands the unconditioned… (namely; the concept of causality) must have a sensible intuition given; by which first its objective reality is assured。 Now; the categories are all divided into two classes… the mathematical; which concern the unity of synthesis in the conception of objects; and the dynamical; which refer to the unity of synthesis in the conception of the existence of objects。 The former (those of magnitude and quality) always contain a synthesis of the homogeneous; and it is not possible to find in this the unconditioned antecedent to what is given in sensible intuition as conditioned in space and time; as this would itself have to belong to space and time; and therefore be again still conditioned。 Whence it resulted in the Dialectic of Pure Theoretic Reason that the opposite methods of attaining the unconditioned and the totality of the conditions were both wrong。 The categories of the second class (those of causality and of the necessity of a thing) did not require this homogeneity (of the conditioned and the condition in synthesis); since here what we have to explain is not how the intuition is compounded from a manifold in it; but only how the existence of the conditioned object corresponding to it is added to the existence of the condition (added; namely; in the understanding as connected therewith); and in that case it was allowable to suppose in the supersensible world the unconditioned antecedent to the altogether conditioned in the world of sense (both as regards the causal connection and the contingent existence of things themselves); although this unconditioned remained indeterminate; and to make the synthesis transcendent。 Hence; it was found in the Dialectic of the Pure Speculative Reason that the two apparently opposite methods of obtaining for the conditioned the unconditioned were not really contradictory; e。g。; in the synthesis of causality to conceive for the conditioned in the series of causes and effects of the sensible world; a causality which has no sensible condition; and that the same action which; as belonging to the world of sense; is always sensibly conditioned; that is; mechanically necessary; yet at the same time may be derived from a causality not sensibly conditioned… being the causality of the acting being as belonging to the supersensible world… and may consequently be conceived as free。 Now; the only point in question was to change this may be into is; that is; that we should be able to show in an actual case; as it were by a fact; that certain actions imply such a causality (namely; the intellectual; sensibly unconditioned); whether they are actual or only commanded; that is; objectively necessary in a practical sense。 We could not hope to find this connections in actions actually given in experience as events of the sensible world; since causality with freedom must always be sought outside the world of sense in the world of intelligence。 But things of sense of sense in the world of intelligence。 But things of sense are the only things offered to our perception and observation。 Hence; nothing remained but to find an incontestable objective principle of causality which excludes all sensible conditions: that is; a principle in which reason does not appeal further to something else as a determining ground of its causality; but contains this determining ground itself by means of that principle; and in which therefore it is itself as pure reason practical。 Now; this principle had not to be searched for or discovered; it had long been in the reason of all men; and incorporated in their nature; and is the principle of morality。 Therefore; that unconditioned causality; with the faculty of it; namely; freedom; is no longer merely indefinitely and problematically thought (this speculative reason could prove to be feasible); but is even as regards the law of its causality definitely and assertorially known; and with it the fact that a being (I myself); belonging to the world of sense; belongs also to the supersensible world; this is also positively known; and thus the reality of the supersensible world is established and in practical respects definitely given; and this definiteness; which for theoretical purposes would be transcendent; is for practical purposes immanent。 We could not; however; make a similar step as regards the second dynamical idea; namely; that of a necessary being。 We could not rise to it from the sensible world without the aid of the first dynamical idea。 For if we attempted to do so; we should have ventured to leave at a bound all that is given to us; and to leap to that of which nothing is given us that can help us to effect the connection of such a supersensible being with the world of sense (since the necessary being would have to be known as g
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!