determining ground present in itself would not be always conditioned; and this holds not merely of external (material) nature, but also of internal (thinking) nature — it being of course understood that I only am considering that in myself which is nature.

But a thing that is to exist necessarily, on account of its objective constitution, as the final purpose of an intelligent cause, must be of the kind that in the order of purposes it is dependent on no further condition than merely its Idea.

Now we have in the world only one kind of beings whose causality is teleological, i.e. is directed to purposes and is at the same time so constituted that the law according to which they have to determine purposes for themselves is represented as unconditioned and