In a passage in both editions of the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant describes what he wants to accomplish there as a ‘doctrine of method’ (A82–3/B108–9). In the B-Preface, he adds that the Critique ‘is a treatise on the method’ (Bxxii). In this chapter, I argue that the best way to understand these claims is to see them as an indication that the Critique is the doctrine of method of metaphysics. I start by clarifying what a doctrine of method is for Kant and distinguish between the doctrine of method of general logic and the doctrines of method of particular sciences. In a second step, I argue that the Transcendental Doctrine of Method is the particular doctrine of method of metaphysics. Furthermore, I explain how this is compatible with regarding the whole Critique as the doctrine of method of metaphysics. Since cognitions belonging to a science must already be established in order for a doctrine of method to perform its task, the Transcendental Doctrine of Method requires that at least some doctrinal parts of metaphysics be established in the Transcendental Doctrine of Elements. I argue that this has important consequences for how we should depict the relationship between the critique of pure reason and transcendental philosophy.

This chapter explores the political aspect of the legal metaphors. The main question is how epistemic authority can be both individual and shared. The key metaphors in this chapter are the political community and the distinction between valid laws and arbitrary decrees. To understand this relationship, Møller considers the way we can conceive of the thinking self as a critical authority. On the political nature of pure reason, Onora O’Neill has provided a groundbreaking analysis, which Møller discusses in detail. The thought-provoking accounts of the legal structure of reason by Susan Meld Shell and Friedrich Kaulbach are also considered. Building on this discussion, Møller shows that the lawful nature of reason is a presupposition of its political use in debates and an enlightened community.