ABSTRACT
Kant examines the nature and possibility of mystical visions, paying special attention to the claims of a Swedish writer and accomplished scientist named Emanuel Swedenborg. The mystical experiences considered in Kt18 are not experiences of the presence of God, but experiences of lower spiritual beings. Kant’s attempt in Kt18 to examine mysticism and metaphysics with a Critical eye should therefore be regarded as resulting from one of his first major awakenings. Kant’s purpose in clearing from the path of metaphysics the obstructions created by the speculative claims of mystical experiences is to prepare the way for his own attempt to provide a metaphysical System that could do for metaphysics what Kt18 does for mystical visions. Kant even uses the analogy of awakening in the skeptical chapter of Kt18, indicating that in 1766 he was already thinking of skepticism as a useful tool for stimulating philosophers to reconsider their dogmatism.
