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Eighteenth century thought was in a state of crisis. Philosophy was divided between rationalism and empiricism. The status of religion was in dispute. Science, having alone achieved broader consensus under the headings of mechanism and determinism, was seen as a threat to human freedom and so to morality. Committed equally to reason and experience, science and morality, Kant's aim was to place these human concerns on a secure basis while limiting their claim to unqualified truth. The result is the Critique of Pure Reason, a work at once constructive and critical. Kant introduces a new and highly original approach, of far-reaching consequence and decisive influence on later thought.
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