Books

First edition of Kant's third major critical treatise, his most important work after the other two Critiks, and the scarcest of the three. The Critik der Urtheilskraft brings together the theoretical and practical parts of the critical philosophy outlined in the earlier two Critiks. "The work consists of two main parts, the first dealing with the aesthetic judgment, the second with the teleological judgment or judgment of the purposiveness in Nature... Kant tries, as far as our consciousness is concerned at least, to bridge the gulf between the mechanistic world of Nature as presented in physical science and the world of morality, freedom and faith. That is to say, he tries to show how the mind passes from the one to the other" (Copleston, p. 209). Kant's theory of aesthetic judgment profoundly influenced the modern philosophy of art, while his concept of purposiveness in nature develops a philosophical theory of biological cognition. The second edition was published in 1793. Octavo (196 x 120 mm), pp. [iii]-lviii, [3]-476, [2]. Nineteenth-century half sheep, spine ruled in gilt and lettered in blind, marbled sides, edges sprinkled red. Woodcut vignette to title page. Remnants of ink library stamp of Aarhus University to front pastedown. Binding recently restored: boards re-covered, corners refurbished, lacking rear free endpaper. Light rubbing, short closed tears to spine ends, minor foxing to edges and margins, contents otherwise fresh: a very good copy. Adickes 71; Norman Library of Science & Medicine 1199; Warda 125. Frederick Copleston, A History of Philosophy VI, 1960.

Critik der Urtheilskraft, or Critique of Judgement, is a philosophical work by Immanuel Kant, published in 1790. It is the third of his critiques, following the Critique of Pure Reason (1781) and the Critique of Practical Reason (1788). The work addresses aesthetics and the philosophy of science, exploring the faculty of judgement.