Maimon's criticism of Reinhold's principle of consciousness is tied in with his criticism of the concept of a thing-in-itself. By considering representation (Vorstellung) as related to an object and a subject, Rein-hold presupposes the reality of both, object-in-itself and subject-in-itself. A relation between A and B as between two objects presupposes their reality as separate entities. Only in a dogmatic system of thought, according to which the reality of things-in-themselves is assumed, is it proper to speak of representation as related to an object.