In the classical conception, which served as a point of departure for our inquiry, the concept "theory" occupied a central position. Over the course of centuries this concept was translated by the Latin speculatio. We have noted Kant's attempt to distinguish between the meanings of the theoretical sphere and those of the speculative sphere; as a result of these distinctions he was able to make several suggestions concerning the nature of the speculative sphere which, however, need not concern us at this point.