All thought must, directly or indirectly, by way of certain characters, relate ultimately to intuitions, and therefore, with us, to sensibility, because in no other way can an object be given to us.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- All thoughts must connect to sensory experience, because without sensation nothing can be given to us.
- In plain terms
- Thought relies on sensory intuition.
- What can you take from it?
- Ground ideas in concrete experience.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How much does perception shape thought?
- Can we think without direct experience?
Another view
Abstract reasoning sometimes transcends immediate sensation.
More from Immanuel Kant
All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.
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