Monday, October 03, 2005

of time [Kant]


1. Time is not an empirical conception. For neither coexistence
nor succession would be perceived by us, if the representation of time did not exist as a foundation a priori. Without this presupposition we could not represent to ourselves that things exist together at one and the same time, or at different times, that is, contemporaneously, or in succession.
2. Time is a necessary representation, lying at the foundation of all our intuitions. With regard to phenomena in general, we cannot think away time from them, and represent them to ourselves as out of and unconnected with time, but we can quite well represent to ourselves time void of phenomena. Time is therefore given a priori. In it alone is all reality of phenomena possible. These may all be annihilated in thought, but time itself, as the universal condition of their possibility, cannot be so annulled.

SS 5. Metaphysical Exposition of this Conception.
SECTION II. Of Time.
The Critique of Pure Reason,
Immanuel Kant


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

one of my fav philosophers! i bow to him!