Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
II. TRANSCENDENTAL DOCTRINE OF METHOD
Chapter 4: THE HISTORY OF PURE REASON (p. 666)
A cursory sketch of the various ideas which gave rise to the chief revolutions in metaphysical theory.
In respect of the object of all our 'knowledge through reason,' there have been two schools:
Sensualists such as Epicurus.
Intellectualists such as Plato.
In respect of the origin of the modes of 'knowledge through pure reason,' there have been two schools:
Empiricists such as Aristotle and Locke.
Noologists such as Plato and Leibniz.
In respect of method, a procedure in accordance with principles:
Naturalistic:pure reason adopts as its principle that through common sense (without science), it may achieve more than is possible through speculation. This point of view is nonsense.
Scientific: Reason proceeds systematically, but it may proceed two ways.
Dogmatically such as Wolff.
Sceptically such as Hume.
Since the completion of the critique of pure reason, only the sceptical scientific path is still open.
It is notable that in the infancy of philosophy men began where we should incline to end, namely with the knowledge of God.
Back to Chapter 3: The Architectonic of Pure Reason