stankovic, sasa thesis.pdf - Atrium - University of Guelph

is undoubtedly immediate, but not sensory; hence it is precisely what I call ‘intellectual
intuition’” (Fichte I 471). Fichte continues: “the consciousness of this law…forms the basis for
the intuition of self-activity and freedom; I am given to myself, by myself, as something that is to
be active in a certain fashion, and am thereby given to myself as active in general; I have life
within me, and draw it from myself” (Fichte I 466). In short, “only though this medium of the
moral law do I behold myself; and in thus seeing myself, I necessarily see myself as self-active”
(Fichte I 466). Fichte argues that the foundation of philosophy is freedom. Schelling reaches the
same conclusion that Fichte does. “Anyone who has followed us attentively thus far will
perceive for himself that the beginning and end of this philosophy is freedom, the absolute
indemonstrable, authenticated only though itself.—That which in all other systems threatens the
downfall of freedom is here derived from freedom itself” (Schelling 376). Transcendental
idealism is justified in practical knowledge. But perhaps we ought to give Kant his due.
There is the theoretical and the practical use of reason. Theoretical use of reason thinks
the thing in itself in terms of God, immortality and freedom. But it does not know the thing in
itself. “Now all synthetic knowledge through pure reason in its speculative employment is, as
has been shown by the proofs given, completely impossible. There is therefore no canon of its
speculative employment; such employment is entirely dialectical” (CPR A796/B824). In this
sense, the theoretical use of reason is negative. In other words, it warns against its own use. “The
greatest and perhaps the sole use of all philosophy of pure reason is therefore only negative;
since it serves not as an organon for the extension but as a discipline for the limitation of pure
reason, and, instead of discovering truth, has only the modest merit of guarding against error”
(CPR A796/B824). However, by warning against its own use, the theoretical use of reason
suggests that there may be a different use of reason. “There must, however, be some source of
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