AS KANT'S Critique of Pure Reason is the principal elementary work, upon the pillars of which the whole of his System, together with all the works that illuftrate it, must either ftand, or fall, we shall firft explain its aim and moral tendency, by giving KANT's peculiar definition and divifion of philofophy, accompanied with five connected problems; and in the next place, it will be ufeful to lay down the particular contents of all his works. The former we fhall exhibit in the Synopfis the latter must be the feeble effort of a literal, not elegant, tranflation; and we propofe to comprise them in the fubfequent Chronological Analyfis.

I. SYNOPSIS.

A. DEFINITION AND DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY.

Philofophy is the system of all philofophical, i. e. difcurfive knowledge derived from bare ideas, or notions. This is the scholaftic definition; but, in a cosmological sense, it is the fcience concerning the relation of all our knowledge to the effential purposes of human reason, (teleologia rationis humana) and the philofopher is not an architect of reason, but

the

rely upon the information of that learned and fagacious pupil, who condefcended to tranflate the Synoptical Problems here ftated, with their solutions, as a fpecimen of his progrefs in the German, -Dr REID, of Glasgow, was the first among the British Philofophers, who distinguished clearly between the objec tive and fubjective use of the words, which are employed to exprefs the immediate objects of fenfation and perception.

* Originally digested by Mr JOHN SCHULZE, an eminent Divine and CourtChaplain at Koenigsberg; a particular friend of KANT's who, on that occasion, congratulated him upon having fully entered into the spirit of the CRITIQUE; and bestowed upon him every mark of approbation,

the law-giver of it- We cannot, hence, learn philosophy itfelf; it is philofophizing which ought to be our study.

1. Philofophical Knowledge

a.) is difcurfive, as derived from ideas, and opposed to mathematical intuitive knowledge, derived from the conftruction of ideas.

b.) is to be understood objectively:

I.as the prototype for judging upon all the attempts of philofophizing.

2.as a bare idea of a poffible fcience, which is no

where given in concreto: for where is it? who is in the poffeffion of it? and by what means may it be distinguished from others?

c.) confiders particulars only in the general; while mathematical knowledge confiders general fubjects in the particular, nay, even in the individual. Those who pretend, that quality is the object of philofophy, quantity the object of mathematics, have erroneously adopted the effect, instead of the cause.

2. The fcholaftic definition of philofophy denotes a system of knowledge, which we pursue only with a view of reducing it to scientific rules, without any other aim, than that of attaining to a logical perfection of knowledge. Thus philofophy is merely confidered as one of thofe arts, which may be applied to certain arbitrary purposes; and in this sense the philofopher is an architect of reafon.

3. The cofmological idea of philofophy implies that, which neceffarily concerns every individual.-In this view the philofopher is the legislator of human reason.

4. Among the effential purposes of human reafon, one is the

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final purpose, and this is the complete deftination of man. The philosophy which has this purpose for its object, is called Ethics. Hence the ancients always understood by the name philosopher, at the fame time, and principally, the Moralift, the Stoic, or him who can govern himself. 5. To Philofophize, means to exercise, by certain plain expe riments, the talent which reafon difplays in judging conformably to its general principles.-According to Kant's System, philosophy is divided into, and confidered as

Ift. formal (methodical) philosophy, which concerns merely the form of the understanding and reafoning faculties, as well as the general rules of thought, throughout independent of the objects: hence Logic, Canon for understanding and reasoning. 2d. material philofophy, fuch as is employed in reflecting upon any one object, and again is

A. the pure, or the philofophy of pure reason, which depends upon fundamental principles and notions a priori. This is,

2.

Propedeutic, or Critique, which inquires into the faculty of reason with refpect to all its pure knowledge a priori;

b. Metaphyfics in a more extenfive fenfe, the system of pure reason; or the collective philofophical knowledge from pure reafon, in fyftematic connection, whether real, or imaginary.—This again compre

hends

2.) Metaphyfics of Nature; Metaphyfics in a more

limited fenfe, that of the fpeculative ufe of pure reafon, which confines its inquiries to what actually is, or exifts. Its component parts are the following four :

aa. Ontology, the fyftem of all ideas and princi

ples

ples, which relate to subjects in general, without propofing any objects of perception. bb. Rational Phyfiology, which investigates nature, i. e. the complexus (compass) of subjects; whether they be exhibited to the fenfes, or to any other perceptive faculty. It comprepends Ift, Rational (not empirical) Phyfics, treating of material objects, and including every thing that may be known by means of the external fenfes ;-2d, Rational Pfychology, which confiders the subject of the internal sense, mind; and, according to its fundamental notions, the reflecting capacity in general.

cc. Rational Cofmology, which employs itself with the internal combination of the objects of experience; but which proceeds beyond the poffibility of experience; general knowledge of the world, by which nature is confidered as an abfolute Univerfum.

dd. Rational Theology, which investigates the connection fubfifting between Nature and a Supreme Being.

b.) Metaphyfics of Morals, or the practical ufe of

pure reason, which attends to the laws, according to which every thing happens in this, and no other, manner;-pure morals, Ethics.

B. The experimental, practical Philofophy, which is altogether established upon experience, and again confifts of three principal divisions, viz.

1. Phyfics, the experimental doctrine of the material world.

2. Pfychology, the experimental doctrine of mind,

3. Actresses, the praffical doctrine of free-acting man, derived from experience.

Carralaria.

1. Merelal Pallolophy is, therefore, divided like Mathematics, into pure and applied (practical).

2. There are, originally, only two principal divifions of phiklophy, Logic and Metaphyfer; or, according to the plan of the ancient Greeks, three; namely, Logic, Phyfics, and Ethics.

B. PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS.

Exordiam.

The aim of KANT'S Critique is no lefs, than to lead Reason to the true knowledge of itfelf; to examine the titles, upon which it founds the fuppofed poffeffion of its metaphysical knowledge, and by means of this examination to mark the true limits, beyond which it cannot venture to speculate, without wandering into the empty region of pure fancy ;— an attempt, the bare idea of which fufficiently discovers the philofophic fpirit of its author.

In order to acquire a correct notion of the term Pure Reafon, we must confider it in this point of view.—Every act of judgment, which is not mingled with any beterogeneous ingredients, is called pure. But particularly every piece of comparative knowledge, which is unmixed with any experience. or fenfation, and which consequently is poffible aitogether a priori, deferves the name of abfolutely pure ; v. g. Liberty, God, Immortality-Reafon, then, is that faculty, which af fords to us the principles of comparative knowledge a priori.

Hence