Anthropology from a pragmatic perspective

Reading this book published by Kant in the autumn of his life 1798 is a philosophical exercise of a special kind; in it, the philosopher combines considerations of rational analysis and its principles, and adheres to the classifications he previously committed to in his lessons on experimental psychology regarding the basic functions and powers of the soul in terms of their external manifestations. It also seeks through observation and experiment to uncover specific data related to states of expression and behavior, from facial features to the customs of tribes and peoples, and from local traditions to the major characteristics of human natures. This is not limited to the testimonies of philosophers — few, and truth be told — but also includes the recall of classical literature and its great figures from the ancients: Horace, Lucretius, and the moderns: Milton, Molière, Voltaire, Swift, Richardson. And this combination is based on a balance between the general prior knowledge required by thought and the empirical content that needs system and arrangement to enter into a particular art, regardless of its sources.