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The shift from rationality to irrationality in German aesthetic theory: Kant, Schelling, Schopenhauer
Abstract
This dissertation studies the shift that occurs in German aesthetic theory between Kant's Critique of Judgment (1790) and Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation (1818), with Schelling's System of Transcendental Idealism (1800) forming the pivot. This shift is actually part of a much larger movement, and I have chosen aesthetic theory because it mirrors so well the changing focus of the essence of the self which takes place as post-Enlightenment German philosophers delve deeper into the question of what it means to be human. Kant remains firmly rooted in the rationalist tradition, and provides for his successors both a foundation and the means to undermine it. He gives an explanation for the individual's response to a great work of art which relies on an account of how the mind functions. Schelling and Schopenhauer are deeply influenced by Kant, but regard the human self as containing some inexplicable mystery, an unconscious mythic unity with all other selves, for Schelling, and an irrational desiring will, for Schopenhauer. Although Kant, too, unwillingly points to the evidence which suggests a non-rational basis for aesthetic response, as well as for an account of the self, he tries to avoid stating this result. By contrast, Schelling and Schopenhauer make this inexplicable aspect a basic premise of their respective works. In this work, I rely mainly on the three primary texts, with the intent of making the complex arguments, in particular those of Kant and Schelling, more accessible to the reader. I examine first the cognitive theory of each thinker, and then study each one's aesthetic theory in relation to their respective theory of mind. In this way, I show how a decisive shift in focus has occurred in the period under consideration. In addition, I refer to a cross-section of recent literature to clarify and support my position. The conclusion I draw is that philosophic self-understanding attains a completely new vantage point as the result of Schelling and Schopenhauer's work, a perspective which irrevocably changes the lines of debate about the nature of the self.
Subject Area
Philosophy
Recommended Citation
van Heerden, Gita S, "The shift from rationality to irrationality in German aesthetic theory: Kant, Schelling, Schopenhauer" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9219512.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9219512