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!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

the critique of pure reason-第95章

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!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




well…established principle of transcendental analytic which admits

of no exception。 The question; therefore; is: 〃Whether an effect;

determined according to the laws of nature; can at the same time be

produced by a free agent; or whether freedom and nature mutually

exclude each other?〃 And here; the common but fallacious hypothesis of

the absolute reality of phenomena manifests its injurious influence in

embarrassing the procedure of reason。 For if phenomena are things in

themselves; freedom is impossible。 In this case; nature is the

complete and all…sufficient cause of every event; and condition and

conditioned; cause and effect are contained in the same series; and

necessitated by the same law。 If; on the contrary; phenomena are

held to be; as they are in fact; nothing more than mere

representations; connected with each other in accordance with

empirical laws; they must have a ground which is not phenomenal。 But

the causality of such an intelligible cause is not determined or

determinable by phenomena; although its effects; as phenomena; must be

determined by other phenomenal existences。 This cause and its

causality exist therefore out of and apart from the series of

phenomena; while its effects do exist and are discoverable in the

series of empirical conditions。 Such an effect may therefore be

considered to be free in relation to its intelligible cause; and

necessary in relation to the phenomena from which it is a necessary

consequence… a distinction which; stated in this perfectly general and

abstract manner; must appear in the highest degree subtle and obscure。

The sequel will explain。 It is sufficient; at present; to remark that;

as the complete and unbroken connection of phenomena is an unalterable

law of nature; freedom is impossible… on the supposition that

phenomena are absolutely real。 Hence those philosophers who adhere

to the common opinion on this subject can never succeed in reconciling

the ideas of nature and freedom。



     Possibility of Freedom in Harmony with the Universal Law

                     of Natural Necessity。



  That element in a sensuous object which is not itself sensuous; I

may be allowed to term intelligible。 If; accordingly; an object

which must be regarded as a sensuous phenomenon possesses a faculty

which is not an object of sensuous intuition; but by means of which it

is capable of being the cause of phenomena; the causality of an object

or existence of this kind may be regarded from two different points of

view。 It may be considered to be intelligible; as regards its

action… the action of a thing which is a thing in itself; and

sensuous; as regards its effects… the effects of a phenomenon

belonging to the sensuous world。 We should accordingly; have to form

both an empirical and an intellectual conception of the causality of

such a faculty or power… both; however; having reference to the same

effect。 This twofold manner of cogitating a power residing in a

sensuous object does not run counter to any of the conceptions which

we ought to form of the world of phenomena or of a possible

experience。 Phenomena… not being things in themselves… must have a

transcendental object as a foundation; which determines them as mere

representations; and there seems to be no reason why we should not

ascribe to this transcendental object; in addition to the property

of self…phenomenization; a causality whose effects are to be met

with in the world of phenomena; although it is not itself a

phenomenon。 But every effective cause must possess a character; that

is to say; a law of its causality; without which it would cease to

be a cause。 In the above case; then; every sensuous object would

possess an empirical character; which guaranteed that its actions;

as phenomena; stand in complete and harmonious connection; conformably

to unvarying natural laws; with all other phenomena; and can be

deduced from these; as conditions; and that they do thus; in

connection with these; constitute a series in the order of nature。

This sensuous object must; in the second place; possess an

intelligible character; which guarantees it to be the cause of those

actions; as phenomena; although it is not itself a phenomenon nor

subordinate to the conditions of the world of sense。 The former may be

termed the character of the thing as a phenomenon; the latter the

character of the thing as a thing in itself。

  Now this active subject would; in its character of intelligible

subject; be subordinate to no conditions of time; for time is only a

condition of phenomena; and not of things in themselves。 No action

would begin or cease to be in this subject; it would consequently be

free from the law of all determination of time… the law of change;

namely; that everything which happens must have a cause in the

phenomena of a preceding state。 In one word; the causality of the

subject; in so far as it is intelligible; would not form part of the

series of empirical conditions which determine and necessitate an

event in the world of sense。 Again; this intelligible character of a

thing cannot be immediately cognized; because we can perceive

nothing but phenomena; but it must be capable of being cogitated in

harmony with the empirical character; for we always find ourselves

compelled to place; in thought; a transcendental object at the basis

of phenomena although we can never know what this object is in itself。

  In virtue of its empirical character; this subject would at the same

time be subordinate to all the empirical laws of causality; and; as

a phenomenon and member of the sensuous world; its effects would

have to be accounted for by a reference to preceding phenomena。

Eternal phenomena must be capable of influencing it; and its

actions; in accordance with natural laws; must explain to us how its

empirical character; that is; the law of its causality; is to be

cognized in and by means of experience。 In a word; all requisites

for a complete and necessary determination of these actions must be

presented to us by experience。

  In virtue of its intelligible character; on the other hand (although

we possess only a general conception of this character); the subject

must be regarded as free from all sensuous influences; and from all

phenomenal determination。 Moreover; as nothing happens in this

subject… for it is a noumenon; and there does not consequently exist

in it any change; demanding the dynamical determination of time; and

for the same reason no connection with phenomena as causes… this

active existence must in its actions be free from and independent of

natural necessity; for or necessity exists only in the world of

phenomena。 It would be quite correct to say that it originates or

begins its effects in the world of sense from itself; although the

action productive of these effects does not begin in itself。 We should

not be in this case affirming that these sensuous effects began to

exist of themselves; because they are always determined by prior

empirical conditions… by virtue of the empirical character; which is

the phenomenon of the intelligible character… and are possible only as

constituting a continuation of the series of natural causes。 And

thus nature and freedom; each in the complete and absolute

signification of these terms; can exist; without contradiction or

disagreement; in the same action to



    Exposition of the Cosmological Idea of Freedom in Harmony

        with the Universal Law of Natural Necessity。



  I have thought it advisable to lay before the reader at first merely

a sketch of the solution of this transcendental problem; in order to

enable him to form with greater ease a clear conception of the

course which reason must adopt in the solution。 I shall now proceed to

exhibit the several momenta of this solution; and to consider them

in their order。

  The natural law that everything which happens must have a cause;

that the causality of this cause; that is; the action of the cause

(which cannot always have existed; but must be itself an event; for it

precedes in time some effect which it has originated); must have

itself a phenomenal cause; by which it is determined and; and;

consequently; all events are empirically determined in an order of

nature… this law; I say; which lies at the foundation of the

possibility of experience; and of a connected system of phenomena or

nature is a law of the understanding; from which no departure; and

to which no exception; can be admitted。 For to except even a single

phenomenon from its operation is to exclude it from the sphere of

possible experience and thus to admit it to be a mere fiction of

thought or phantom of the brain。

  Thus we are obliged to acknowledge the existence of a chain of

causes; in which; however; absolute totality cannot be found。 But we

need not detain ourselves with this question; for it has already

been sufficiently answered in our discussion of the antinomies into

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 1
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
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!