More Than a Satyr Play: Dreams of a Spirit-Seer as the Hidden Blueprint of Kant's Critical Philosophy

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Document Type : Research Paper

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1 Department of Philosophy, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran

2 Department of philosophy, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Dreams of a Spirit-Seer Elucidated by Dreams of Metaphysics (1766) is one of Immanuel Kant’s most significant so-called “pre-Critical” writings. In this essay, Kant engages with the Swedish theologian, scientist, and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg, critically examining his alleged communications with a supersensible realm. This paper argues that Kant’s Dreams of a Spirit-Seer is not merely a satirical curiosity but a decisive step toward the Critique of Pure Reason. While often regarded as a transitional work, Dreams already anticipates central elements of Kant’s later philosophy: a critique of metaphysics, analysis of transcendental illusion, emphasis on experience, and the role of space as a necessary condition of sensibility. It also points toward the practical orientation that becomes characteristic of the Critical system. Drawing on Paul Guyer’s distinction between 'critical' and 'constructive' theory, I contend that Dreams functions as a katharticon, purging dogmatic metaphysics and it already enacts, in embryonic form, Kant’s organon of Critical philosophy.

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 October 2025

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