the critique of practical reason-第15章

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out　any　empirical　sources；　and　thus；　after　removing　the　source　of　empiricism；　I　was　able　also　to　overthrow　the　inevitable　consequence　of　this；　namely；　scepticism；　first　with　regard　to　physical　science；　and　then　with　regard　to　mathematics　（in　which　empiricism　has　just　the　same　grounds）；　both　being　sciences　which　have　reference　to　objects　of　possible　experience；　herewith　overthrowing　the　thorough　doubt　of　whatever　theoretic　reason　professes　to　discern。　　　But　how　is　it　with　the　application　of　this　category　of　causality　（and　all　the　others；　for　without　them　there　can　be　no　knowledge　of　anything　existing）　to　things　which　are　not　objects　of　possible　experience；　but　lie　beyond　its　bounds？　For　I　was　able　to　deduce　the　objective　reality　of　these　concepts　only　with　regard　to　objects　of　possible　experience。　But　even　this　very　fact；　that　I　have　saved　them；　only　in　case　I　have　proved　that　objects　may　by　means　of　them　be　thought；　though　not　determined　a　priori；　this　it　is　that　gives　them　a　place　in　the　pure　understanding；　by　which　they　are　referred　to　objects　in　general　（sensible　or　not　sensible）。　If　anything　is　still　wanting；　it　is　that　which　is　the　condition　of　the　application　of　these　categories；　and　especially　that　of　causality；　to　objects；　namely；　intuition；　for　where　this　is　not　given；　the　application　with　a　view　to　theoretic　knowledge　of　the　object；　as　a　noumenon；　is　impossible　and；　therefore；　if　anyone　ventures　on　it；　is　（as　in　the　Critique　of　Pure　Reason）　absolutely　forbidden。　Still；　the　objective　reality　of　the　concept　（of　causality）　remains；　and　it　can　be　used　even　of　noumena；　but　without　our　being　able　in　the　least　to　define　the　concept　theoretically　so　as　to　produce　knowledge。　For　that　this　concept；　even　in　reference　to　an　object；　contains　nothing　impossible；　was　shown　by　this；　that；　even　while　applied　to　objects　of　sense；　its　seat　was　certainly　fixed　in　the　pure　understanding；　and　although；　when　referred　to　things　in　themselves　（which　cannot　be　objects　of　experience）；　it　is　not　capable　of　being　determined　so　as　to　represent　a　definite　object　for　the　purpose　of　theoretic　knowledge；　yet　for　any　other　purpose　（for　instance；　a　practical）　it　might　be　capable　of　being　determined　so　as　to　have　such　application。　This　could　not　be　the　case　if；　as　Hume　maintained；　this　concept　of　causality　contained　something　absolutely　impossible　to　be　thought。　　　In　order　now　to　discover　this　condition　of　the　application　of　the　said　concept　to　noumena；　we　need　only　recall　why　we　are　not　content　with　its　application　to　objects　of　experience；　but　desire　also　to　apply　it　to　things　in　themselves。　It　will　appear；　then；　that　it　is　not　a　theoretic　but　a　practical　purpose　that　makes　this　a　necessity。　In　speculation；　even　if　we　were　successful　in　it；　we　should　not　really　gain　anything　in　the　knowledge　of　nature；　or　generally　with　regard　to　such　objects　as　are　given；　but　we　should　make　a　wide　step　from　the　sensibly　conditioned　（in　which　we　have　already　enough　to　do　to　maintain　ourselves；　and　to　follow　carefully　the　chain　of　causes）　to　the　supersensible；　in　order　to　complete　our　knowledge　of　principles　and　to　fix　its　limits；　whereas　there　always　remains　an　infinite　chasm　unfilled　between　those　limits　and　what　we　know；　and　we　should　have　hearkened　to　a　vain　curiosity　rather　than　a　solid…desire　of　knowledge。　　　But；　besides　the　relation　in　which　the　understanding　stands　to　objects　（in　theoretical　knowledge）；　it　has　also　a　relation　to　the　faculty　of　desire；　which　is　therefore　called　the　will；　and　the　pure　will；　inasmuch　as　pure　understanding　（in　this　case　called　reason）　is　practical　through　the　mere　conception　of　a　law。　The　objective　reality　of　a　pure　will；　or；　what　is　the　same　thing；　of　a　pure　practical　reason；　is　given　in　the　moral　law　a　priori；　as　it　were；　by　a　fact；　for　so　we　may　name　a　determination　of　the　will　which　is　inevitable；　although　it　does　not　rest　on　empirical　principles。　Now；　in　the　notion　of　a　will　the　notion　of　causality　is　already　contained；　and　hence　the　notion　of　a　pure　will　contains　that　of　a　causality　accompanied　with　freedom；　that　is；　one　which　is　not　determinable　by　physical　laws；　and　consequently　is　not　capable　of　any　empirical　intuition　in　proof　of　its　reality；　but；　nevertheless；　completely　justifies　its　objective　reality　a　priori　in　the　pure　practical　law；　not；　indeed　（as　is　easily　seen）　for　the　purposes　of　the　theoretical；　but　of　the　practical　use　of　reason。　Now　the　notion　of　a　being　that　has　free　will　is　the　notion　of　a　causa　noumenon；　and　that　this　notion　involves　no　contradiction；　we　are　already　assured　by　the　fact…　that　inasmuch　as　the　concept　of　cause　has　arisen　wholly　from　pure　understanding；　and　has　its　objective　reality　assured　by　the　deduction；　as　it　is　moreover　in　its　origin　independent　of　any　sensible　conditions；　it　is；　therefore；　not　restricted　to　phenomena　（unless　we　wanted　to　make　a　definite　theoretic　use　of　it）；　but　can　be　applied　equally　to　things　that　are　objects　of　the　pure　understanding。　But；　since　this　application　cannot　rest　on　any　intuition　（for　intuition　can　only　be　sensible）；　therefore；　causa　noumenon；　as　regards　the　theoretic　use　of　reason；　although　a　possible　and　thinkable；　is　yet　an　empty　notion。　Now；　I　do　not　desire　by　means　of　this　to　understand　theoretically　the　nature　of　a　being；　in　so　far　as　it　has　a　pure　will；　it　is　enough　for　me　to　have　thereby　designated　it　as　such；　and　hence　to　combine　the　notion　of　causality　with　that　of　freedom　（and　what　is　inseparable　from　it；　the　moral　law；　as　its　determining　principle）。　Now；　this　right　I　certainly　have　by　virtue　of　the　pure；　not…empirical　origin　of　the　notion　of　cause；　since　I　do　not　consider　myself　entitled　to　make　any　use　of　it　except　in　reference　to　the　moral　law　which　determines　its　reality；　that　is；　only　a　practical　use。　　　If；　with　Hume；　I　had　denied　to　the　notion　of　causality　all　objective　reality　in　its　＇theoretic＇　use；　not　merely　with　regard　to　things　in　themselves　（the　supersensible）；　but　also　with　regard　to　the　objects　of　the　senses；　it　would　have　lost　all　significance；　and　being　a　theoretically　impossible　notion　would　have　been　declared　to　be　quite　useless；　and　since　what　is　nothing　cannot　be　made　any　use　of；　the　practical　use　of　a　concept　theoretically　null　would　have　been　absurd。　But；　as　it　is；　the　concept　of　a　causality　free　from　empirical　conditions；　although　empty；　i。e。；　without　any　appropriate　intuition）；　is　yet　theoretically　possible；　and　refers　to　an　indeterminate　object；　but　in　compensation　significance　is　given　to　it　in　the　moral　law　and　consequently　in　a　practical　sense。　I　have；　indeed；　no　intuition　which　should　determine　its　objective　theoretic　reality；　but　not　the　less　it　has　a　real　application；　which　is　exhibited　in　concreto　in　intentions　or　maxims；　that　is；　it　has　a　practical　reality　which　can　be　specified；　and　this　is　sufficient　to　justify　it　even　with　a　view　to　noumena。　　　Now；　this　objective　reality　of　a　pure　concept　of　the　understanding　in　the　sphere　of　the　supersensible；　once　brought　in；　gives　an　objective　reality　also　to　all　the　other　categories；　although　only　so　far　as　they　stand　in　necessary　connexion　with　the　determining　principle　of　the　will　（the　moral　law）；　a　reality　only　of　practical　application；　which　has　not　the　least　effect　in　enlarging　our　theoretical　knowledge　of　these　objects；　or　the　discernment　of　their　nature　by　pure　reason。　So　we　shall　find　also　in　the　sequel　that　these　categories　refer　only　to　beings　as　intelligences；　and　in　them　only　to　the　relation　of　reason　to　the　will；　consequently；　always　only　to　the　practical；　and　beyond　this　cannot　pretend　to　any　knowledge　of　these　beings；　and　whatever　other　properties　belonging　to　the　theoretical　representation　of　supersensible　things　may　be　brought　into　connexion　with　these　categories；　this　is　not　to　be　reckoned　as　knowledge；　but　only　as　a　right　（in　a　practical　point　of　view；　however；　it　is　a　necessity）　to　admit　and　assume　such　beings；　even　in　the　case　where　we　＇conceive＇　supersensible　beings　（e。g。；　God）　according　to　analogy；　that　is；　a　purely　rational　relation；　of　which　we　make　a　practical　use　with　reference　to　what　is　sensible；　and　thus　the　application　to　the　supersensible　solely　in　a　practical　point　of　view　does　not　give　pure　theoretic　reason　the　least　encouragement　to　run　riot　int