The Equivocation of Reason: Kleist Reading KantThe Equivocation of Reason: Kleist Reading Kant asks how the literary works of the German writer Heinrich von Kleist might be considered a critique and elaboration of Kantian philosophy. In 1801, the twenty-three-year-old Kleist, attributing his loss of confidence in our knowledge of the world to his reading of Kant, turned from science to literature. Kleist ignored Kant's apology of the sciences to focus on the philosopher's doctrine of the unknowability of things in themselves. From that point on, Kleist's writings relate confrontations with points of hermeneutic resistance. Truth is no longer that which the sciences establish; only the disappointment of every interpretation attests to the continued sway of truth. Though he adheres to Kant's definition of Reason as the faculty that addresses things in themselves, Kleist sees no need for its critique and discipline in the name of the reasonableness (prudence and common sense) of the experience of the natural sciences. Setting transcendental Reason at odds with empirical reasonableness, Kleist releases Kant's ethics and doctrine of the sublime from the moderating pull of their examples. |
Contents
Penthesilea and the Law Before Oedipus | 26 |
A Universal Sublime | 73 |
Conclusion | 112 |
Copyright | |
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abstraction according action aesthetic already appears argument beauty becomes body character claim comes common comprehension concept concerned constitutive contingency correspondence crisis critical Critique Critique of Pure death defines definition desire determinate distinction duty empirical Enlightenment error essence ethics examples existence experience face faculty falls freedom German idealism given gives grace Grenze ground Hegel human Idea imperative independence judgment Kant Kant's Kantian Kantian ethics Kleist knowledge less letter limit longer means measure metaphysics method moral namely nature necessity never object once paradise particular Penthesilea philosophy play pleasure pleasure principle positive possibility Practical presentation principle priori Puppet Theater Pure Reason question rational reading reflection relation respect sciences sense simply soul speak spirit sublime takes theory of truth thing thinking thought tion tragedy trans transcendent transcendental truth turn understanding University writes