SUNY Series in Jewish Philosophy Kenneth R. Seeskin, editor The Critical Philosophy of Hermann Cohen THE CRITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF HERMANN COHEN (La Filosofia Critica DI Hermann Cohen) ANDREAPOMA Translated lJy ]OHNDENTON STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS Originally published as Filosofia critic a di Hermann Cohen, © Copyright 1988 Ugo Mursia Editore, Milan, Italy Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 1997 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246 Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Fran Keneston library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Poma, Andrea. [Filosofia critiea di Hermann Cohen. English] The critical philosophy of Hermann Cohen / Andrea Porn a : translated by John Denton. p. cm. - (SUNY series in Jewish philosophy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-3185-1 (hc: alk. paper). - ISBN 0-79 I 4-3186-X (pb: alk. paper) l. Cohen, Hermann, 1842-1918. I. Title. II. Series. B3216.C74P6613 1997 193-dc20 96-30131 CIP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Preface IX Acknowledgments xiii Chapter One The Interpretation ofK ant 1 1. Neo-Kantianism 1 2. The Trendelenburg-Fischer Dispute 4 3. The First Edition of Kants Theorie der Erfahrung 6 4. Cohen and the Disputes over the Interpretation of Kant 13 5. Kant's Critical Philosophy 16 Chapter Two The Interpretation ofP lato 21 1. The Initial Psychological Interpretation 21 2. Plato in the History ofIdealism 26 3. The Theory of Ideas 30 4. Plato's Critical Philosophy 33 5. The Interpretation of Plato's Theory ofIdeas in The Post-1878 Works 34 Chapter Three The New Interpretation ofK ant and the Definition of Critical Idealism 37 1. From the First to the Second Edition of Kants Theorie der Erfahrung 37 2. The Interpretation of Leibniz 39 3. The Principle ofIntensive Magnitude in Kant 41 4. The Thing-in-Itselfand Ideas 44 5. The New Meaning of Critical Philosophy in Kant 48 v vi CONTENTS Chapter Four Critical Idealism 55 l. From Transcendental to Critical Idealism 55 2. Scientific Idealism 56 3. Materialism, Spiritualism, and Skepticism 58 4. Idealism without a Subject? 61 5. Ethical Idealism 64 6. Eudemonism and Pantheism 67 7. Aesthetic Idealism 70 8. Critical Idealism and Eclecticism 71 9. Excursus: Romanticism: Fichte, Schelling, Hegel 72 Chapter Five Logic 79 l. From the Critique of Knowledge to the Logic of Pure Knowledge 79 2. The Concept of Purity 80 3. Logic and Critique 81 4. Productive and Representative Thought 81 5. The Transcendental Character of Cohen's Logic 82 6. Transcendental and Dialectical Methods 83 7. The Logic ofJ udgment 86 8. From Origin to Concept 88 9. Origin 90 10. Truth 97 Chapter Six Ethics 103 l. The Development of Cohen's Interpretation of Kant's Ethics 103 2. Cohen'sJudgment on Kant in Ethik des reinen Willens 107 3. The Problems of Cohen's Ethics from the Point of View of Critical Philosophy 115 4. The Critical Formulation of the Problem of Man 119 5. The Contribution of Ethics to the Critical Conception of Truth 125 Chapter Seven Aesthetics, Psychology, and Critical System 131 l. The Aesthetics of Pure Feeling 131 2. Psychology 147 3. The Critical System 153 Chapter Eight The Philosophy ofR eligion and the System ofP hilosophy 157 l. Continuity and Turning Point: The Philosophy of Religion and the System in the Perspective of Critical Philosophy 157 Contents VII 2. The Religion of Reason and Religious Experience 159 3. Rational Religion and Constructive Method 159 4. The Peculiarity of Religion as Regards Ethics 161 5. The Peculiarity of Religion as Regards the System 163 6. The Centrality of Ethics in the System 163 7. Truth, God, and Being in Cohen's Ethics 164 8. The Idea of God as a Regulative Idea and as a Constitutive Principle 165 Chapter Nine The Uniqueness oJGod and Correlation 171 1. The Uniqueness of God 171 2. Creation 173 3. God as Origin and the Teaching of God's Negative Attributes 176 4. The Idea of God and Plato aVU1t08EtOV 177 5. Revelation 184 6. Holy Spirit 187 7. Holy Spirit and the Idea of Good 188 8. Holiness and Correlation 192 9. Holy Spirit and the Peculiarity of Religion 196 Chapter Ten Man in Correlation with God 199 l.Jewish Monotheism and Scientific Idealism 199 2. Suffering 202 3. Fellowman as Mitmensch 203 4. Correlation as Love 205 5. Love for Mitmensch: Compassion 206 6. God's Love for Man: Mercy 208 7. Man's Love for God: Yearning 210 8. The Individual in Ethics and Religion 211 9. The Individual and Sin 214 10. Penitence, Liberation and Redemption 220 11. The God-Individual Correlation and Reflections on the Limit 228 Chapter Eleven Messianism and History 235 1. Messianism and Universal History 235 2. Messianism and the Peculiarity of Religion 238 3. Messianism and Suffering 242 4. Precedents for the Concept of Evolution in Cohen's Philosophy 247 5. Immortality and Historical Evolution 249 VIII CONTENTS 6. The Anti-Eudemonist Conception of History 254 7. Truth and Peace 256 AblYreviations 263 Notes 267 Index ofN ames 317