The End of All Things
Kant examines the idea of passing from time into eternity and how reason considers an end of history morally. He distinguishes this idea from knowledge of future events.
Understanding the text
Published in 1794, the essay combines reflection on time, religious imagination and moral orientation without making eternity an object of experience.
Key points
- 01
Time
Endless duration within time is not the same as existence conceived outside time.
- 02
Limit
Imagination can evoke an absolute end without making it an object of empirical knowledge.
- 03
Morality
Reason examines this representation in relation to action and moral purposes.
How to read it
Separate the role of a religious image from the theoretical proof it does not provide.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗