Psychology Dictionary of Arguments

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Cartesianism: (goes back to René Descartes) the thesis that we must distinguish between extended entities (bodies, matter, res extensa) and unextended entities (spirit, soul). See also Dualism.
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Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments.

 
Author Concept Summary/Quotes Sources

Wilhelm Dilthey on Cartesianism - Dictionary of Arguments

Gadamer I 241
Cartesianism/Dilthey/Gadamer: [Dilthey was not able] to really record the consequence of his life-philosophical approach against the philosophy of reflection of idealism (...). Otherwise he would have had to recognize in the objection of relativism the one from which his own starting point of the immanence of knowledge in life just wanted to take away the basis. >Relativism/Dilthey
, >Life/Dilthey, >Lebensphilosophie/Dilthey.
This ambiguity has its final reason in an inner inconsistency of his thinking, the unresolved Cartesianism from which he takes his starting point. His epistemological reflections on the foundation of the humanities do not really coincide with his life-philosophical starting point. There is proof of this in his latest works. Dilthey demands from a philosophical foundation that it must extend to every area in which "consciousness has shaken off the authoritative and
Gadamer I 242
seeks to arrive at valid knowledge through the standpoint of reflection and doubt"(1).
Gadamer: Such a sentence seems to be a harmless statement about the nature of science and philosophy in modern times in general. The Cartesian echoes in it are not to be overheard. In truth, however, this sentence finds its application in a quite different sense, if Dilthey continues: "Everywhere life leads to reflections on what is set in it, reflection leads to doubt, and if life is to assert itself against this, then thinking can only end in valid knowledge"(2). Here it is no longer philosophical prejudices that should be overcome by an epistemological foundation in the style of Descartes, but here it is realities of life, the tradition of custom, religion and positive law, which are decomposed by reflection and need a new order. When Dilthey speaks here of knowledge and reflection, he does not mean the general immanence of knowledge in life, but a movement directed against life.


1. Dilthey, Ges. Schriften Vll, 6.
2. Ebenda.

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Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments
The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition.

Dilth I
W. Dilthey
Gesammelte Schriften, Bd.1, Einleitung in die Geisteswissenschaften Göttingen 1990

Gadamer I
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Wahrheit und Methode. Grundzüge einer philosophischen Hermeneutik 7. durchgesehene Auflage Tübingen 1960/2010

Gadamer II
H. G. Gadamer
The Relevance of the Beautiful, London 1986
German Edition:
Die Aktualität des Schönen: Kunst als Spiel, Symbol und Fest Stuttgart 1977


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