Conclusion
Original German
Beschluß.
Zwei Dinge erfüllen das Gemüth mit immer neuer und zunehmender Bewunderung und Ehrfurcht, je öfter und anhaltender sich das Nachdenken damit beschäftigt: der bestirnte Himmel über mir und das moralische Gesetz in mir. Beide darf ich nicht als in Dunkelheiten V:162 verhüllt, oder im Überschwenglichen, außer meinem Gesichtskreise suchen und blos vermuthen; ich sehe sie vor mir und verknüpfe sie unmittelbar A 289 mit dem Bewußtsein meiner Existenz. Das erste fängt von dem Platze an, den ich in der äußern Sinnenwelt einnehme, und erweitert die Verknüpfung, darin ich stehe, ins unabsehlich Große mit Welten über Welten und Systemen von Systemen, überdem noch in grenzenlose Zeiten ihrer periodischen Bewegung, deren Anfang und Fortdauer. Das zweite fängt von meinem unsichtbaren Selbst, meiner Persönlichkeit, an und stellt mich in einer Welt dar, die wahre Unendlichkeit hat, aber nur dem Verstande spürbar ist, und mit welcher (dadurch aber auch zugleich mit allen jenen sichtbaren Welten) ich mich nicht wie dort in blos zufälliger, sondern allgemeiner und nothwendiger Verknüpfung erkenne. Der erstere Anblick einer zahllosen Weltenmenge vernichtet gleichsam meine Wichtigkeit, als eines thierischen Geschöpfs, das die Materie, daraus es ward, dem Planeten (einem bloßen Punkt im Weltall) wieder zurückgeben muß, nachdem es eine kurze Zeit (man weiß nicht wie) mit Lebenskraft versehen gewesen. Der zweite erhebt dagegen meinen Werth, als einer Intelligenz, unendlich durch meine Persönlichkeit, in welcher das moralische Gesetz mir ein von der Thierheit und selbst von der ganzen Sinnenwelt unabhängiges Leben offenbart, wenigstens so viel sich aus der zweckmäßigen Bestimmung meines Daseins durch dieses Gesetz, welche nicht auf Bedingungen und Grenzen dieses Lebens eingeschränkt ist, sondern ins Unendliche geht, A 290 abnehmen läßt.
Allein Bewunderung und Achtung können zwar zur Nachforschung reizen, aber den Mangel derselben nicht ersetzen. Was ist nun zu thun, um diese auf nutzbare und der Erhabenheit des Gegenstandes angemessene Art anzustellen? Beispiele mögen hiebei zur Warnung, aber auch zur Nachahmung dienen. Die Weltbetrachtung fing von dem herrlichsten Anblicke an, den menschliche Sinne nur immer vorlegen und unser Verstand in ihrem weiten Umfange zu verfolgen nur immer vertragen kann, und endigte — mit der Sterndeutung. Die Moral fing mit der edelsten Eigenschaft in der menschlichen Natur an, deren Entwicklung und Cultur auf unendlichen Nutzen hinaussieht, und endigte — mit der Schwärmerei, oder dem Aberglauben. So geht es allen noch rohen Versuchen, in denen der vornehmste Theil des Geschäftes auf den Gebrauch der Vernunft ankommt, der nicht so wie der Gebrauch der Füße sich von selbst vermittelst der öftern Ausübung findet, vornehmlich wenn er Eigenschaften betrifft, V:163 die sich nicht so unmittelbar in der gemeinen Erfahrung darstellen lassen. Nachdem aber, wiewohl spät, die Maxime in Schwang gekommen war, alle Schritte vorher wohl zu überlegen, die die Vernunft zu thun vorhat, und sie nicht anders als im Gleise einer vorher wohl überdachten Methode ihren Gang machen zu lassen, so bekam die Beurtheilung des Weltgebäudes A 291 eine ganz andere Richtung und mit dieser zugleich einen ohne Vergleichung glücklichern Ausgang. Der Fall eines Steins, die Bewegung einer Schleuder, in ihre Elemente und dabei sich äußernde Kräfte aufgelöst und mathematisch bearbeitet, brachte zuletzt diejenige klare und für alle Zukunft unveränderliche Einsicht in den Weltbau hervor, die bei fortgehender Beobachtung hoffen kann, sich immer nur zu erweitern, niemals aber zurückgehen zu müssen fürchten darf.
Diesen Weg nun in Behandlung der moralischen Anlagen unserer Natur gleichfalls einzuschlagen, kann uns jenes Beispiel anräthig sein und Hoffnung zu ähnlichem guten Erfolg geben. Wir haben doch die Beispiele der moralisch urtheilenden Vernunft bei Hand. Diese nun in ihre Elementarbegriffe zu zergliedern, in Ermangelung der Mathematik aber ein der Chemie ähnliches Verfahren der Scheidung des Empirischen vom Rationalen, das sich in ihnen vorfinden möchte, in wiederholten Versuchen am gemeinen Menschenverstande vorzunehmen, kann uns Beides rein und, was Jedes für sich allein leisten könne, mit Gewißheit kennbar machen und so theils der Verirrung einer noch rohen, ungeübten Beurtheilung, theils (welches weit nöthiger ist) den Genieschwüngen vorbeugen, durch welche, wie es von Adepten des Steins der Weisen zu geschehen pflegt, ohne alle methodische Nachforschung und Kenntniß der A 292 Natur geträumte Schätze versprochen und wahre verschleudert werden. Mit einem Worte: Wissenschaft (kritisch gesucht und methodisch eingeleitet) ist die enge Pforte, die zur Weisheitslehre führt, wenn unter dieser nicht blos verstanden wird, was man thun, sondern was Lehrern zur Richtschnur dienen soll, um den Weg zur Weisheit, den jedermann gehen soll, gut und kenntlich zu bahnen und andere vor Irrwegen zu sicheren; eine Wissenschaft, deren Aufbewahrerin jederzeit die Philosophie bleiben muß, an deren subtiler Untersuchung das Publicum keinen Antheil, wohl aber an den Lehren zu nehmen hat, die ihm nach einer solchen Bearbeitung allererst recht hell einleuchten können.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation directly from Kant's German, Akademie-Ausgabe V (1913), pages 1–163, including all eighteen author notes. Original page and section references are retained.
Conclusion.
Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily reflection dwells upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me. Neither need I seek or merely conjecture as veiled in darkness V:162 or lying beyond experience, outside my field of vision. I see them before me and connect them immediately A 289 with the consciousness of my existence. The first begins from the place I occupy in the outer sensible world and extends the connection in which I stand into an immeasurable vastness of worlds upon worlds and systems of systems, and beyond this into the boundless times of their periodic motion, its beginning and continuance. The second begins from my invisible self, my personality, and presents me in a world that has true infinity but is discernible only to the understanding, and with which—and thereby also with all those visible worlds—I cognize myself as standing not, as in the first case, in a merely contingent connection, but in a universal and necessary one. The first view, of a countless multitude of worlds, annihilates, as it were, my importance as an animal creature that must return the matter from which it was formed to the planet—a mere point in the universe—after having been endowed, one knows not how, with vital force for a short time. The second, by contrast, infinitely raises my worth as an intelligence through my personality, in which the moral law reveals to me a life independent of animality and even of the entire sensible world, at least insofar as this can be inferred from the purposive determination of my existence by this law, a determination not restricted to the conditions and limits of this life but extending to infinity. A 290
Yet admiration and respect, though they can prompt inquiry, cannot make up for its absence. What, then, must be done to pursue this inquiry usefully and in a manner suited to the sublimity of its object? Examples may serve here both as a warning and as models for imitation. Contemplation of the world began with the most magnificent spectacle that human senses could ever present, and that our understanding could bear to follow in its vast extent, and ended—with astrology. Morality began with the noblest property in human nature, whose development and cultivation promise infinite benefit, and ended—with fanaticism or superstition. So it goes with all still crude attempts in which the chief part of the undertaking depends on the use of reason. Unlike the use of our feet, this use does not develop of itself through frequent practice, especially when it concerns properties V:163 that cannot be presented so immediately in ordinary experience. But once the maxim became current, though late, of carefully considering in advance every step reason proposes to take, and allowing it to proceed only along the track of a method previously well thought out, judgment of the structure of the universe A 291 took an entirely different direction, and with it achieved an incomparably more successful outcome. The fall of a stone and the motion of a sling, analyzed into their elements and the forces manifested in them and treated mathematically, finally produced that clear and for all future time unchanging insight into the structure of the universe which, with continued observation, can hope only to expand and need never fear having to retreat.
That example can recommend that we take the same path in treating the moral predispositions of our nature, and give us hope of similar success. We do, after all, have examples of morally judging reason at hand. To analyze these into their elementary concepts and, in the absence of mathematics, undertake a procedure resembling chemistry—separating the empirical from the rational that may be found in them, through repeated experiments on ordinary human understanding—can make both known to us in their purity, and with certainty show what each can accomplish on its own. It can thus prevent both the errors of a still crude, unpracticed judgment and, what is far more necessary, the flights of genius through which, as commonly happens with adepts of the philosopher's stone, imaginary treasures are promised and real ones squandered without any methodical inquiry or knowledge of A 292 nature. In a word, science, critically sought and methodically introduced, is the narrow gate that leads to the doctrine of wisdom, if by this we mean not merely what one ought to do, but what should serve teachers as a guide in laying out clearly and securely the path to wisdom that everyone ought to travel, and in safeguarding others from wrong turns. Philosophy must always remain the keeper of this science. The public need take no part in its subtle investigation, but should take part in the teachings that only after such an examination can become truly clear to it.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the same German text, including all eighteen author notes.
Conclusion.
Two things fill the mind with ever fresh and growing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect on them: the starry sky above me and the moral law within me. I do not need to search for either as though hidden in darkness V:162 or beyond experience, outside my field of vision, and merely guess at their existence. I see them before me and connect them directly A 289 with the consciousness of my existence. The first begins with the place I occupy in the external world of sense. It extends the connection in which I stand into an immeasurable vastness: worlds upon worlds, systems of systems, and also the boundless times of their periodic motion, its beginning and continuation. The second begins with my invisible self, my personality. It presents me in a world that has true infinity but is discernible only to the understanding. I recognize myself as connected with this world—and through it also with all those visible worlds—not merely contingently, as in the first case, but universally and necessarily. The first view, of a countless multitude of worlds, virtually wipes out my importance as an animal creature. After being endowed with vital force for a short time, no one knows how, this creature must return the matter from which it was made to the planet, itself a mere point in the universe. The second, by contrast, infinitely raises my worth as an intelligence, through my personality. In this personality the moral law reveals to me a life independent of animal nature and even of the entire world of sense. At least, that much can be inferred from the purposive determination of my existence by this law: a determination not confined to the conditions and limits of this life, but extending to infinity. A 290
Yet admiration and respect can encourage investigation, but they cannot compensate for a lack of it. What, then, must we do to conduct that investigation usefully and in a way suited to the greatness of its object? Examples can serve both as warnings and as models. The study of the universe began with the most magnificent sight human senses could ever present and our understanding could ever manage to follow across its vast extent. It ended—in astrology. Morality began with the noblest property of human nature, whose development and cultivation promise endless benefit. It ended—in fanaticism or superstition. This is what happens to all still crude attempts in which the chief part of the task depends on the use of reason. Unlike the use of our feet, using reason does not come about by itself through repeated exercise, especially when it concerns properties V:163 that cannot be presented so directly in ordinary experience. Eventually, though late, a maxim came into use: carefully consider in advance every step reason intends to take, and let it proceed only along the track of a method thought through beforehand. The assessment of the structure of the universe A 291 then took an entirely different direction and, with it, reached an incomparably more successful outcome. A stone's fall and a sling's motion were broken down into their elements and the forces evident in them, then treated mathematically. This finally produced a clear insight into the universe's structure, unchanging for all future time. With continued observation, this insight can hope only to expand and need never fear having to retreat.
That example can recommend the same path in dealing with our nature's moral capacities, and give us hope of similarly good results. We do have examples of reason making moral judgments ready to hand. We can analyze these into their elementary concepts. In the absence of mathematics, we can adopt a procedure like chemistry: separating whatever empirical and rational elements may be found in them through repeated experiments on ordinary human understanding. This can make both elements known to us in their purity, and let us know with certainty what each can accomplish on its own. It can thus prevent both the errors of still crude, unpracticed judgment and—what is far more necessary—the flights of genius that promise imaginary treasures and squander real ones, without any methodical investigation or knowledge of A 292 nature, as would-be masters of the philosopher's stone tend to do. In a word, science, pursued critically and introduced methodically, is the narrow gate leading to the doctrine of wisdom. By this doctrine we mean not merely what one ought to do, but what ought to guide teachers: how to lay out clearly and soundly the path to wisdom that everyone should follow, and protect others from wrong turns. Philosophy must always remain the guardian of this science. The public need not take part in its subtle investigation, but it should take part in its teachings. Only after such work can those teachings become truly clear to it.
About this section
Conclusion is part of Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 12 of 12 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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