CHARACTERISTIC

[L:64ff] For Kant, human cognition "takes place through presentations" and characteristics are what is common to several things in our experience. "We thus cognize things only through characteristics"; a characteristic is a "partial presentation"; all concepts are characteristics; "all thinking is nothing but a presenting through characteristics". There are a variety of characteristics, including: analytic and synthetic, subordinate, affirmative and negative, contingent and necessary characteristics. A characteristic may be important and fecund or empty and unimportant. Distinctness in thought consists of clarity of characteristics.