In his monumental Critique of Pure Reason, German philosopher Immanuel
Kant (1724-1804) argues that human knowledge is limited by the capacity
for perception. He attempts a logical designation of two varieties of
knowledge: a posteriori, knowledge acquired through experience, and a
priori, knowledge not derived through experience. Kant maintains that
the most practical forms of human knowledge employ a priori judgments
that are possible only when the mind determines the conditions of its
own experience.
A cornerstone of Western philosophy, this seminal treatise was
originally published in 1781. Kant, whose life was dedicated to a quiet
and passionate quest for truth, expresses herein his unique system of
philosophical thought, and his approach, known as transcendental
idealism, based on meticulous investigations of metaphysics, ethics, and
aesthetics. This translation by J. M. Meiklejohn offers a simple and
direct rendering of Kant's work that is suitable for readers at all
levels.