of these differentiations involves a special conception,
and that therefore these conceptions taken together constitute an
exhaustive list of the conceptions which belong to the understanding.

[10] B. 91-105, M. 56-63.

His account of the understanding is expressed thus: "The understanding
was explained above only negatively, as a non-sensuous faculty of
knowledge. Now, independently of sensibility, we cannot have any
perception; consequently, the understanding is no faculty of
perception. But besides perception there is no other kind of
knowledge, except through conceptions. Consequently, the knowledge of
every understanding, or at least of every human understanding, is a
knowledge through conceptions,--not perceptive, but discursive. All
perceptions, as sensuous, depend on affections; conceptions,
therefore, upon functions. By the word function, I understand the
unity of the act of arranging different representations under one
common representation. Conceptions, then, are based on the spontaneity
of thinking, as sensuous perceptions are on the receptivity of
impressions. Now the understanding cannot make any other use of these
conceptions than to judge by means of them. Since no representation,
except only the perception, refers immediately to the object, a
conception is never referred immediately to an object, but to some
other representation thereof, be that a perception or itself a
conception. A judgement, therefore, is the mediate knowledge of an
object, consequently the representation of a representation of it. In
every judgement there is a conception which is valid for many
representations, and among these also comprehends a given
representation, this last being then immediately referred to the
object. For example, in the judgement 'All bodies are divisible', our
conception of the divisible refers to various other conceptions; among
these, however, it is herein particularly referred to the conception
of body, and this conception of body is referred to certain phenomena
which present themselves to us. These objects, therefore, are
mediately represented by the conception of divisibility. Accordingly,
all judgements are functions of unity in our representations, since,
instead of an immediate, a higher representation, which comprehends
this and several others, is used for the knowledge of the object, and
thereby many possible items of knowledge are collected into one. But
we can reduce all acts of the unders