Kant's Prolegomena,{1} although a small book, is indubitably the most
important of his writings. It furnishes us with a key to his main
work, The Critique of Pure Reason; in fact, it is an extract
containing all the salient ideas of Kant's system. It approaches the
subject in the simplest and most direct way, and is therefore best
adapted as an introduction into his philosophy. For this reason, The
Open Court Publishing Company has deemed it advisable to bring out a
new edition of the work, keeping in view its broader use as a
preliminary survey and explanation of Kant's philosophy in general. In
order to make the book useful for this broader purpose, the editor has
not only stated his own views concerning the problem underlying the
Prolegomena (see page 167 et seq.), but has also collected the most
important materials which have reference to Kant's philosophy, or to
the reception which was accorded to it in various quarters (see page
241 et seq.). The selections have not been made from a partisan
standpoint, but have been chosen with a view to characterising the
attitude of different minds, and to directing the student to the best
literature on the subject.
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{1} Prolegomena means literally prefatory or introductory remarks. It is
the neuter plural of the present passive participle of
προλέγειν, to speak before, i.e., to make introductory
remarks before beginning one's regular discourse.
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It is not without good reasons that the appearance of the Critique of
Pure Reason is regarded as the beginning of a new era in the history
of philosophy; and so it seems that a comprehension of Kant's
position, whether we accept or reject it, is indispensable to the
student of philosophy. It is not his solution which makes the sage of
Königsberg the initiator of modern thought, but his formulation of
the problem.
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The present translation is practically new, but it goes without saying
that the editor utilised the labors of his predecessors, among whom
Prof. John P. Mahaffy and John H. Bernard deserve special credit.
Richardson's translation of 1818 may be regarded as superseded and has
not been consulted, but occasional reference has been made to that of
Prof. Ernest Belfort Bax. Considering the difficulties under which
even these translators labored we must recognise the fact that they
did their work well, with painstaking diligence, great love of the
subject, and good judgment. The editor of the present translation has
the advantage of being to the manor born; moreover, he is pretty well
versed in Kant's style; and wherever he differs from his predecessors
in the interpretation of a construction, he has deviated from them not
without good reasons. Nevertheless there are some passages which will
still remain doubtful, though happily they are of little consequence.
As a curiosum in Richardson's translation Professor Mahaffy mentions
that the words widersinnig gewundene Schnecken, which simply means
"symmetric helices,"{2} are rendered by "snails rolled up contrary to
all sense"—a wording that is itself contrary to all sense and makes
the whole paragraph unintelligible. We may add an instance of another
mistake that misses the mark. Kant employs in the Appendix a word that
is no longer used in German. He speaks of the Cento der Metaphysik as
having neue Lappen and einen veränderten Zuschnitt. Mr. Bax
translates Cento by "body," Lappen by "outgrowths," and Zuschnitt by
"figure." His mistake is perhaps not less excusable than Richardson's;
it is certainly not less comical, and it also destroys the sense,
which in the present case is a very striking simile. Cento is a Latin
word[3] derived from the Greek κεντρων,[4] meaning "a garment of
many patches sewed together," or, as we might now say, "a crazy
quilt."
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{2} Mahaffy not incorrectly translates "spirals winding opposite ways,"
and Mr. Bax follows him verbatim even to the repetition of the
footnote.
{3} The French cento is still in use.
{4} κέντρων, (1) one that bears the marks of the κέντρο,
goad; a rogue, (2) a patched cloth; (3) any kind of patchwork,
especially verses made up of scraps from other authors.
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In the hope that this book will prove useful, The Open Court
Publishing Company offers it as a help to the student of philosophy.