ence, this revision and transformation of the
Kantian theory of knowledge, has, by virtue of the long history of the
doctrine in question, and by virtue of the difficult considerations
upon which, as a philosophical thesis, it rests, a highly technical
character. This technical aspect of the teaching in question forbids,
in these lectures. {124} any adequate exposition, or criticism, or
defence of its problems and of its merits as a basis for a system of
philosophy. And you will surely not find unnatural the fact that a
study of the function of the reason should indeed involve such
technical and complex issues. I mention these issues only to say at
once how and how far, in the present lectures, we are concerned with
them.

We are seeking a way of salvation. And in these discussions we are
mainly concerned with the sources of insight into what that way is. I
am not attempting to work out, in your presence, a systematic
philosophy. Why, then, have I introduced this mere sketch of
philosophical idealism into our inevitably crowded programme? I
answer: I have done so because I have wanted to illustrate the office
of reason by telling you in my own way how I view the matter. The
reason is, in fact, a source of religious insight to many people who
do not reflect upon its deliverances as philosophers seek to reflect,
and who may not agree with me in what little I have time to expound of
my own philosophical opinions. My effort has been to tell in
philosophical terms what such people really mean.

In such people reason very often shows itself indirectly and
concretely, by its fruits, through their deeds, through their purpose,
in a word, through their will. We shall ere long see how this can be
and is the case. Reason is present in such lives and inspires them. A
genuine relation to some {125} spirit of all truth, a perfectly
sincere touch with an articulate and universal insight, a translation
of the lesson and the meaning of the synthetic reason into a definite
practical postulate that life shall be and is an essentially
reasonable and therefore an essentially divine enterprise--such I find
to be the essence of the religious insight of many serious minds.
Beside the earnest devotion of such people to the business which life
assigns to them, the mere theories of a philosopher may seem shadowy
enough. And if such people comment upon what they hear of my
philosophy by saying that they do not understand it, and doubt whether
t