Considered by Kant to be the culmination of his critical philosophy, "The Critique of Judgement" was the last work in the trilogy begun with "The Critique of Pure Reason" and continued with "The Critique of Practical Reason". In this work Kant seeks to establish the a priori principles underlying the faculty of judgement, just as he did in his previous analyses of pure and practical reason. The first part deals with the subject of our aesthetic sensibility; we respond to certain natural phenomena as beautiful, says Kant, when we recognise in nature a harmonious order that satisfies the mind's own need for order. The second half of the critique concentrates on the apparent teleology in nature's design of organisms, i.e., organisms display a complex inter-working of parts, which are subordinated as means to serve the purpose of the whole. All of this suggests, concludes Kant, that our minds are inclined to attribute a final purpose to nature's design and to life as a whole. This natural tendency to see purpose in nature is the main principle underlying all of our judgements. Although this might imply a super-sensible Designer behind nature and a theistic interpretation of the world, in the final analysis Kant maintains an agnostic stance. Ever the objective philosopher he insists that though we are predisposed to read design and purpose into nature, we cannot therefore prove a supernatural dimension or the existence of God. Such considerations are beyond reason and are solely the province of faith.

This 1790 polemic by one of philosophy's most important and influential figures attempts to establish the principles that support the faculty of judgment. Kant's third critique--after "Critique of Practical Reason" and "Critique of Pure Reason"--remains one of the most important works on human reason. The "Critique of Judgment" informs the very basis of modern aesthetics by establishing the almost universally accepted framework for debate of aesthetic issues.
As in his previous critiques, Kant seeks to establish "a priori "principles. The first part of this work addresses aesthetic sensibility. The human response to specific natural phenomena as beautiful, he asserts, is a recognition of nature's harmonious order that corresponds to a mental need for order. The critique's second half focuses on the apparent teleology in nature's design of organisms. The philosopher declares that the mind is predisposed to find purpose and order in nature, and this predisposition forms the main principle underlying all our judgments. Although this could be interpreted as an argument in favor of a creator, Kant insists that a supernatural dimension or the existence of God cannot be proven--such considerations lie beyond the realm of reason, solely within the province of faith.

Second of 2 volumes, see [13]. This volume contains a translation and very full notes. The first edition is based on two eleventh-century manuscripts: Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1441 [formerly E.4.2]; and one then in Dublin, Franciscan Friary, Merchant's Quay. This latter MS[Dillon A2] is now in the Franciscan Library, Killiney, County Dublin, whither it was transferred in 1946. The collections to which the MSS bear witness are antiquarian rather than liturgical compilations and probably owe their existence to the drive to safeguard cultural monuments in the aftermath of the Norse invasions. Trinity College 1441 is datable to the 11th Century, but the texts, in Irish and Latin, appear to date from the 5th to the 8th centuries. The edition is presented with extensive notes and a glossary. See Kenney n. 574; CLLA 177; BCLL, nn. 542-564, 578-591.

First of 2 volumes, see [14.] The edition is based on two eleventh-century manuscripts: Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1441 [formerly E.4.2]; and one then in Dublin, Franciscan Friary, Merchant's Quay. This latter MS[Dillon A2] is now in the Franciscan Library, Killiney, County Dublin, whither it was transferred in 1946. The collections to which the MSS bear witness are antiquarian rather than liturgical compilations and probably owe their existence to the drive to safeguard cultural monuments in the aftermath of the Norse invasions. Trinity College 1441 is datable to the 11th Century, but the texts, in Irish and Latin, appear to date from the 5th to the 8th centuries. The edition is presented with extensive notes and a glossary. See Kenney n. 574; CLLA 177; BCLL, nn. 542-564, 578-591.

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