Quote: human reason stands in need of discipline to expose the illusions which it originates; this discipline is exercised by reason alone

Quotation

It is a humiliating consideration for human reason, that it is incompetent to discover truth by means of pure speculation, but, on the contrary, stands in need of discipline to check its deviations from the straight path, and to expose the illusions which it originates. But ... this consideration ought to elevate and to give it confidence, for this discipline is exercised by itself alone, and it is subject to the censure of no other power. ... The greatest, and perhaps the only, use of all philosophy of pure reason is, accordingly, of a purely negative character. It is not an organon for the extension, but a discipline for the determination of the limits of its exercise; and without laying claim to the discovery of new truth, it has the modest merit of guarding against error.   Google-1   Google-2

Published before 1923

Additional Titles

Quote: all philosophy of pure reason is purely negative; it guards against error but does not lead to the discovery of new truth

Related Topics

Topic: philosophy of mind (74 items)
Group: debugging   (10 topics, 325 quotes)
Topic: skepticism about knowledge (34 items)