Synthesis as a Process

General logic:

• abstracts all the content of cognition
• expects to receive representations from some other quarter, in order, by means of analysis, to convert them into conceptions.

On the contrary, transcendental logic has the manifold content of within-the-mind sensibility.

• This is presented to the mind by transcendental aesthetic in order to give matter to the pure conceptions of the understanding.
• Without this content, transcendental logic would be empty.

Space and time has an infinite diversity of determinations of pure within-the-mind passive-knowings.

• These determinations are based on the mind’s receptivity.
• This receptivity is allows the mind to obtain representations of objects.
• These representation consequently always affect the conception of these objects.

The spontaneity of thought requires that this diversity be examined in a certain way.

Synthesis is the process of:

• receiving thoughts and connecting them to form a cognition out of it.
• joining different representations to each other and of comprehending their diversity in one cognition.

This synthesis is pure when the diversity is given within-the-mind (as that in space and time).

Our representations must be given previously to any analysis of them.

No conceptions can arise, quoad their content, analytically.

The synthesis of a diversity from the senses or within-the-mind is the first step to produce and idea.

An idea in the beginning may be crude and confused – it still needs analysis.

Synthesis alone collects and unites the elements of our perceptions into a certain idea.

Consequently, we must first focus on synthesis if we wish to investigate the origin of our knowledge.

Synthesis is the mere operation of the imagination. It is a blind but indispensable function of the soul.

Without it, we have no cognition.

The function of the understanding is to reduce this synthesis to conceptions to let us attain cognition.

Pure synthesis gives us the pure conception of the understanding.

Pure synthesis is the synthesis which rests on a basis of a priori synthetical unity.

Thus, numeration is a synthesis according to conceptions.

• This is more observable in large numbers.
• This is because numeration takes place according to a common basis of unity (for example, the decade).

By means of this conception, therefore, the unity in the synthesis of the manifold becomes necessary.

Analysis brings different representations under one conception—an operation of which general logic treats.

On the other hand, the duty of transcendental logic is to reduce to conceptions, not representations, but the pure synthesis of representations.

The first thing which must be given to us for the sake of the a priori cognition of all objects, is the diversity of the pure intuition;

The synthesis of this diversity through the imagination is the second;

but this gives, as yet, no cognition.

The conceptions which give unity to this pure synthesis, and which consist solely in the representation of this necessary synthetical unity, furnish the third requisite for the cognition of an object, and these conceptions are given by the understanding.

The same function which gives unity to the different representation in a judgement, gives also unity to the mere synthesis of different representations in an intuition;

This unity we call the pure conception of the understanding.

Thus, the same understanding, and by the same operations, whereby in conceptions, by means of analytical unity, it produced the logical form of a judgement, introduces, by means of the synthetical unity of the manifold in intuition, a transcendental content into its representations, on which account they are called pure conceptions of the understanding, and they apply a priori to objects, a result not within the power of general logic.

In this way, there arise exactly so many pure conceptions of the understanding, applying a priori to objects of intuition in general, as there are logical functions in all possible judgements.