Section 51
Original German
§ 51.
Zuerst zeigt sich hier der Nutzen eines Systems der Kategorien so deutlich und unverkennbar, daß, wenn es auch nicht mehrere Beweisthümer desselben gäbe, dieser allein ihre Unentbehrlichkeit im System der reinen Vernunft hinreichend darthun würde. Es sind solcher transscendenten Ideen nicht mehr als vier, so viel als Classen der Kategorien; in jeder derselben aber gehen sie nur auf die absolute Vollständigkeit der Reihe der Bedingungen zu einem gegebenen Bedingten. Diesen kosmologischen Ideen gemäß giebt es auch nur viererlei dialektische Behauptungen der reinen Vernunft, die, da sie dialektisch sind, dadurch selbst beweisen, daß einer jeden nach eben so scheinbaren Grundsätzen der reinen Vernunft ein ihm widersprechender entgegensteht, welchen Widerstreit keine metaphysische Kunst der subtilsten Distinction verhüten kann, sondern die den Philosophen nöthigt, zu den ersten Quellen der reinen Vernunft selbst zurück zu gehen.
Diese nicht etwa beliebig erdachte, sondern in der Natur der menschlichen Vernunft gegründete, mithin unvermeidliche und niemals ein Ende nehmende Antinomie enthält nun folgende vier Sätze sammt ihren Gegensätzen.
| Satz | Gegensatz | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Die Welt hat der Zeit und dem Raum nach einen Anfang (Grenze) | Die Welt ist der Zeit und dem Raum nach unendlich |
| 2. | Alles in der Welt besteht aus dem Einfachen | Es ist nichts Einfaches, sondern alles ist zusammengesetzt |
| 3. | Es giebt in der Welt Ursachen durch Freiheit | Es ist keine Freiheit, sondern alles ist Natur |
| 4. | In der Reihe der Weltursachen ist irgend ein nothwendig Wesen | Es ist in ihr nichts nothwendig, sondern in dieser Reihe ist alles zufällig. |
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the complete German of the Prolegomena (AA IV 253–383, all §§1–60 and the Appendix), for fidelity, the steps of Kant’s argument, clarity and structure.
§ 51.
Here, first of all, the usefulness of a system of categories appears so clearly and unmistakably that, even if there were no further proofs of it, this alone would sufficiently demonstrate their indispensability in the system of pure reason. There are no more than four such transcendent ideas, as many as there are classes of categories; but in each class they aim only at the absolute completeness of the series of conditions for a given conditioned thing. In accordance with these cosmological ideas, there are also only four kinds of dialectical assertions of pure reason. Since they are dialectical, they themselves prove that each is opposed by an assertion contradicting it on equally plausible principles of pure reason. No metaphysical art of the subtlest distinction can prevent this conflict; rather, it forces the philosopher to return to the first sources of pure reason itself.
This antinomy, which is not arbitrarily invented but grounded in the nature of human reason, and is therefore unavoidable and never-ending, contains the following four theses together with their antitheses.
| Thesis | Antithesis | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | The world has a beginning (boundary) in time and space | The world is infinite in time and space |
| 2. | Everything in the world consists of the simple | Nothing is simple; everything is composite |
| 3. | There are causes in the world through freedom | There is no freedom; everything is nature |
| 4. | In the series of causes in the world there is some necessary being | Nothing in it is necessary; in this series everything is contingent. |
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same complete German text.
§ 51.
Here, first of all, the usefulness of a system of categories becomes so clear and unmistakable that this alone would sufficiently demonstrate the categories' indispensability in the system of pure reason, even if there were no further proofs. There are only four such transcendent ideas, as many as there are classes of categories. In each class, they aim only at the absolute completeness of the series of conditions for something given as conditioned. Corresponding to these cosmological ideas, there are also only four kinds of dialectical claims of pure reason. Their dialectical character itself shows that each faces a contradictory claim based on equally plausible principles of pure reason. No metaphysical skill in making the subtlest distinctions can prevent this conflict. Instead, it forces philosophers to return to the very first sources of pure reason itself.
This antinomy is not invented at will. It is grounded in the nature of human reason, and is therefore unavoidable and never-ending. It contains the following four propositions and their opposites.
| Proposition | Opposite proposition | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | The world has a beginning (a limit) in time and space | The world is infinite in time and space |
| 2. | Everything in the world consists of what is simple | Nothing is simple; everything is composite |
| 3. | There are causes in the world that act through freedom | There is no freedom; everything is nature |
| 4. | In the series of causes in the world there is some necessary being | Nothing in it is necessary; in this series everything is contingent. |
About this section
Section 51 is part of Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics 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 section 59 of 72 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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