ILLUSION

[B69] In the Aesthetic Kant denies that the transcendental ideality of space entails that objects in time and space are mere illusion. Thus he opposes to appearances both illusion and things in themselves. Appearances are not illusory because "in an appearance the objects, nay even the properties that we ascribe to them, are always regarded as something given". It is by denying the ideality of space and time--asserting their objective reality--that "appearances...are transformed into mere illusion"; Kant suggests that this position motivates Berkeley's idealism. [A293/B349] Kant calls "dialectic in general a logic of illusion". In opposition to optical illusion ("empirical illusion"), the dialectic is concerned with transcendental illusion, whereby "in defiance of all the warnings of criticism...[we are carried] beyond the empirical employment of categories" to a bogus transcendental or transcendent employment of concepts. [A339/B397] Kant also opposes transcendental illusion and error, writing of transcendental illusions "even the wisest of men cannot free himself from them. After long effort he perhaps succeeds in guarding himself against actual error; but he will never be able to free himself from the illusion, which unceasingly mocks and torments him".