Kant's Notion of Self-Consciousness in Context

Thiel, Udo

doi:10.1515/9783110874129.838

Cited by 47 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, even if transcendental apperception is pure in the sense that the identical subject of which we are conscious ‘cannot be thought of as such through empirical data’ (A107), Kant stresses that this consciousness of ourselves depends on empirically‐given representations to serve as ‘the material of thought’ (B423; cf. Thiel 2001, 475) and so, to that extent at least, still conforms to the broader contours of the Wolffian account.…”

Section: Self‐consciousnesssupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Wolff’s derivative conception of self‐consciousness is certainly a long way from Kant’s well‐known claim of an original apperception, yet as Thiel (2001) has noted there was (at least) one important development in the Wolffian conception over the intervening period. In his Philosophical Essay on the Immaterial Nature of the Human Soul first published in 1741, 10 Martin Knutzen (1713–1751), one of Kant’s teachers at the University of Königsberg, makes clear that all consciousness makes possible a consciousness of the self, but further argues that the self of which we are conscious in this way must constitute a unity.…”

Section: Self‐consciousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In what follows, I will focus on one area of Kant’s thought – what might be termed his philosophy of mind – and in particular his accounts of consciousness and self‐consciousness, and the method and content of the investigation of the mind or soul (psychology). As has been made clear in a number of recent publications, especially Thiel (1996, 2001), Wunderlich (2005), Sturm and Wunderlich, and Dyck (2009), Wolff’s influence upon Kant is particularly evident on these topics, and our understanding of Kant is greatly improved by considering his claims in this context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…11 11 Additional detail on Knutzen in this context can be found in Thiel (2001) and Wunderlich (2001). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Wolff in Kant’s Clothing: Christian Wolff’s Influence on Kant’s Accounts of Consciousness, Self‐Consciousness, and Psychology

Dyck

2011

Philosophy Compass

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In attempts to come to grips with Kant's thought, the influence of the philosophy of Christian Wolff (1679-1754) is often neglected. In this paper, I consider three topics related to Kant's philosophy of mind, broadly construed, where Wolff's influence is particularly visible, namely, consciousness, self-consciousness, and the doctrine of the soul or psychology. I argue that within this context we can better understand Kant's particular arguments and positions, and gain a more accurate sense of which aspects of Kant's accounts derive from the antecedent traditions and which constitute genuine philosophical innovations.

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Section: Self‐consciousnesssupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Self‐consciousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…11 11 Additional detail on Knutzen in this context can be found in Thiel (2001) and Wunderlich (2001). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Wolff in Kant’s Clothing: Christian Wolff’s Influence on Kant’s Accounts of Consciousness, Self‐Consciousness, and Psychology

Dyck

2011

Philosophy Compass

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“…Now, it is well known that Kant's further views about consciousness concern especially self-consciousness. Here, he distinguishes between the 'pure' or 'transcendental' apperception and the empirical consciousness of one's own mental states, which he often also described as 'inner sense' (see, for example, Brook, 1994;Carl, 1997;Kitcher, 1999;Mohr, 1991;Thiel, 2001;Wunderlich, 2005). 20 How do these two kinds of selfconsciousness fit with his general assumptions about consciousness?…”

Section: Kant's Concept Of Consciousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kant and the scientific study of consciousness

Sturm

Wunderlich

2010

History of the Human Sciences

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We argue that Kant's views about consciousness, the mind-body problem and the status of psychology as a science all differ drastically from the way in which these topics are conjoined in present debates about the prominent idea of a science of consciousness. Kant never used the concept of consciousness in the now dominant sense of phenomenal qualia; his discussions of the mind-body problem center not on the reducibility of mental properties but of substances; and his views about the possibility of psychology as a science did not employ the requirement of a mechanistic explanation, but of a quantification of phenomena. This shows strikingly how deeply philosophical problems and conceptions can change even if they look similar on the surface.

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The Cambridge History of Eighteenth-Century Philosophy

Haakonssen¹

2006

187

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More than thirty eminent scholars from nine different countries have contributed to The Cambridge History of Eighteenth-Century Philosophy-the most comprehensive and up-to-date history of the subject available in English. In contrast with most histories of philosophy and in keeping with preceding Cambridge volumes in the series, the subject is treated systematically by topic, not by individual thinker, school, or movement, thus enabling a much more historically nuanced picture of the period to be painted. As in previous titles in the series, the volume has extensive biographical and bibliographical research materials. During the eighteenth century, the dominant concept in philosophy was human nature, and so it is around this concept that the present work is centered. This allows the contributors to offer both detailed explorations of the epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical themes that continue to stand at the forefront of philosophy and to voice a critical attitude toward the historiography behind this emphasis in philosophical thought. At the same time, due attention is paid to historical context, with particular emphasis on the connections among philosophy, science, and theology. This judiciously balanced, systematic, and comprehensive account of the whole of Western philosophy during the period will be an invaluable resource for philosophers, intellectual historians, theologians, political theorists, historians of science, and literary scholars.

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Kant's Notion of Self-Consciousness in Context

Cited by 47 publications

References 0 publications

A Wolff in Kant’s Clothing: Christian Wolff’s Influence on Kant’s Accounts of Consciousness, Self‐Consciousness, and Psychology

A Wolff in Kant’s Clothing: Christian Wolff’s Influence on Kant’s Accounts of Consciousness, Self‐Consciousness, and Psychology

Kant and the scientific study of consciousness

The Cambridge History of Eighteenth-Century Philosophy

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