things-in-themselves
Reality beyond perception
Things-in-themselves is the philosophical concept, from Kant, of reality as it exists independent of human perception.
We can only know the world as it appears to us through our senses and mental categories—never the thing-in-itself behind appearances.
We perceive the color red, but the thing-in-itself has no color; color is how our minds process wavelengths.
The term marks the boundary between what we can know and what lies forever beyond experience.
Fundamental nature of something
- existenceState of being real
- beingExisting as something
- substancePhysical material with mass
- realityWhat actually exists
objective reality · ultimate reality · absolute · ontology · properties · attributes · inherent · immanent
Impossible to understand
- inaccessibleCannot be reached
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- knowledgeUnderstood facts and skills
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
representation · experience · intuition · consciousness · skepticism · objectivity · subjectivity · appearance
Observable facts or events
- critiqueDetailed evaluative analysis
- pure reasonIntellect independent of experience
- practical reasonFaculty directing moral action
- a prioriIndependent of experience
synthetic · antinomies · moral law · autonomy · categorical imperative · sublime · intelligible · appearance
essence
Fundamental nature of something
reality · objective reality · ultimate reality · absolute · ontology · properties · attributes · inherent · immanent · transcendent
unknowable
Impossible to understand
- inaccessibleCannot be reached
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- knowledgeUnderstood facts and skills
cognition · representation · experience · intuition · consciousness · skepticism · objectivity · subjectivity · appearance · reality
phenomena
Observable facts or events
- critiqueDetailed evaluative analysis
- pure reasonIntellect independent of experience
- practical reasonFaculty directing moral action
a priori · synthetic · antinomies · moral law · autonomy · categorical imperative · sublime · intelligible · appearance · sensibility
things-in-themselvesphenomena
Observable facts or events
appearances · representations · ideas · subjective experience · impressions
thing, things, self, selves, oneself, selfhood, selfish, selfless, selfishly