276 Kant: A Biography"several years" to think himself "into the spirit of the critical philosophy,"
which, "along with mathematics," became the best companion of his life.^110
Beck's correspondence with Kant between 1789 and 1797 is very impor¬
tant for understanding Kant's mature philosophy, if only because Kant
wants Beck to understand his theory correctly. Although he became one
of the most important first expositors of Kant's critical philosophy, he also
became the first Kantian who significantly departed from the orthodox
way of doing things. In so doing, he prepared the way for Fichte, Schelling,
and Hegel.