Remarks on Jakob and Mendelssohn's Morning Hours
Kant responds to Ludwig Heinrich Jakob's discussion of Moses Mendelssohn's metaphysical demonstration and defends critical limits on speculative reason.
Understanding the text
The 1786 remarks enter debates about knowledge of God, distinguishing claims of proof from a practical ground for belief.
Key points
- 01
Critique
Extending speculative reason without limit beyond sensible experience opens the way to opposing assertions.
- 02
Method
The importance of a conclusion does not itself establish the validity of the reasoning used to reach it.
- 03
Practice
Kant describes a practical orientation of reason without treating it as theoretical knowledge of the supersensible.
How to read it
Follow the distinct levels of the debate: Mendelssohn, Jakob's examination and Kant's own intervention.
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 ↗