Although influential in his own day Karl Leonhard Reinhold's contribution to late 18th and
early 19th century thought has long been overshadowed by the towering presence of Immanuel Kant
the thinker whose ideas he helped to interpret and disseminate. Today however a more nuanced
understanding of Reinhold's contribution to post-Kantian thought is emerging. Apart from his
exposition of Kant's critical philosophy which played a significant role in the development of
German idealism Reinhold's role in the intellectual movement of Enlightenment and his
contributions to early linguistic philosophy are now receiving scholarly attention. In the
English-speaking world where few translations of his work have been attempted Reinhold has
mostly been overlooked. This imbalance is corrected in the present work: the first translation
into English of Reinhold's major work of philosophy the New Theory of the Human Capacity for
Representation (1789). The translators provide an overview of the main currents of thought
which informed Reinhold's philosophical project as well as notes on his reading of Kant and
other important thinkers of Reinhold's day. A glossary of key terms a bibliography of
scholarly work on Reinhold and suggestions for further reading are also included.
