How Do You Read Kants Critique Of Pure Reason?
• Read the Prolegomena first, or at the same time. That book, which is both clear and short, is Kant’s own account of what the Critique was meant to accomplish and what prompted him to write it. If you read the Prolegomena and think he’s barking up the wrong tree, put off the Critique… until you change your mind. (The last bit doesn’t apply to people taking a class, of course.) • Consider reading Kant’s lecture notes on logic. They can be surprisingly useful because they show how he believed philosophical thought should be organized and expressed. Regardless of whether you take his “logical method” seriously, no one denies that Kant took it very seriously, and once you can recognize it in the Critique, many passages become much easier to follow. • Don’t expect a profound spiritual or aesthetic experience. Contrary to his reputation, Kant is an excellent writer, but he’s not trying to take you to a higher level here, or even to entertain you. At all. • Choose your text with care. Abri
