Arguing against the validity of reason - D'Souza - Kant

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by Lotus

This is because reason approaches objects only as they are mediated by our senses. That is, right now I am not experiencing my coffee table, I am only experiencing my psycho-sensual perception of my coffee table. Therefore any reason which I apply to the coffee table, such as "The table is strong enough to hold up my cup of tea," is reason as mediated, not reason applied directly to the object itself.

Sorry, I don't understand the distinction. I get "reason mediated through our perceptions" but how would one apply reason directly to an object?