L0: English (Norman Kemp Smith 1929)

L0: English (Norman Kemp Smith 1929)

Source: Norman Kemp Smith (NKS), 1929 — translation of Kant’s Kritik der reinen Vernunft (AA III/IV)

TRANSCENDENTAL DOCTRINE OF ELEMENTS

FIRST PART.

TRANSCENDENTAL AESTHETIC.

§ 1.

IN whatever manner and by whatever means a mode of knowledge may relateto objects, intuition is that through which it is in immediate relationto them, and to which all thought as a means is directed.But intuition takes place only in so far as the object is given to us.This again is only possible, to man at least, in so far as the mind isaffected in a certain way. The capacity (receptivity) for receivingrepresentations through the mode in which we are affected by objects, isentitled sensibility.Objects are given to us by means of sensibility, and it alone yields usintuitions; they are thought through the understanding, and from theunderstanding arise concepts. But all thought must, directly orindirectly, by way of certain characters, relate ultimately tointuitions, and therefore, with us, to sensibility, because in no otherway can an object be given to us.The effect of an object upon the faculty of representation, so far as weare affected by it, is sensation. That intuition which is in relation tothe object through sensation, is entitled empirical. The undeterminedobject of an empirical intuition is entitled appearance.That in the appearance which corresponds to sensation (P 066) I term itsmatter; but that which so determines the manifold of appearance that itallows of being ordered in certain relations, I term the form ofappearance. That in which alone the sensations can be posited andordered in a certain form, cannot itself be sensation; and therefore,while the matter of all appearance is given to us a posteriori only, itsform must lie ready for the sensations a priori in the mind, and so mustallow of being considered apart from all sensation.I term all representations pure (in the transcendental sense) in whichthere is nothing that belongs to sensation. The pure form of sensibleintuitions in general, in which all the manifold of intuition isintuited in certain relations, must be found in the mind a priori. Thispure form of sensibility may also itself be called pure intuition.Thus, if I take away from the representation of a body that which theunderstanding thinks in regard to it, substance, force, divisibility,etc., and likewise what belongs to sensation, impenetrability, hardness,colour, etc., something still remains over from this empiricalintuition, namely, extension and figure. These belong to pure intuition,which, even without any actual object of the senses or of sensation,exists in the mind a priori as a mere form of sensibility.The science of all principles of a priori sensibility I calltranscendental aesthetic.The Germans are the only people who currently make use of the word‘aesthetic’ in order to signify what others call the critique of taste.This usage originated in the abortive attempt made by Baumgarten, thatadmirable analytical thinker, to bring the critical treatment of thebeautiful under rational principles, and so to raise its rules to therank of a science. But such endeavours are fruitless.The said rules or criteria are, as regards their chief sources, merelyempirical, and consequently can never serve as determinate a priori lawsby which our judgment of taste must be directed. On the contrary, ourjudgment is the proper test of the correctness of the rules. For thisreason it is advisable either to give up using the name in this sense ofcritique of taste, and to reserve it for that doctrine of sensibilitywhich is true science — thus approximating to the language and sense ofthe ancients, in their far-famed division of knowledge into aisthyta kainoyta — or else to share the name with speculative philosophy,employing it partly in the transcendental and partly in thepsychological sense.There must be such a science, forming (P 067) the first part of thetranscendental doctrine of elements, in distinction from that part whichdeals with the principles of pure thought, and which is calledtranscendental logic.In the transcendental aesthetic we shall, therefore, first isolatesensibility, by taking away from it everything which the understandingthinks through its concepts, so that nothing may be left save empiricalintuition. Secondly, we shall also separate off from it everything whichbelongs to sensation, so that nothing may remain save pure intuition andthe mere form of appearances, which is all that sensibility can supply apriori. In the course of this investigation it will be found that thereare two pure forms of sensible intuition, serving as principles of a priori knowledge.