Speculative experience and history : Walter Benjamin's Goethean Kantianism
My thesis explicates and defends what I term an implicit Goetheanism present in the philosophy of Walter Benjamin. It begins by examining Benjaminâs early critique of the Kantian and neo-Kantian concept of experience and argues that a Goethean theory of the primal phenomenon provides the phenomenological model for Benjaminâs radical transformation of the neo-Kantian Idea. I analyse the importance of Goetheâs aesthetics of science for Benjaminâs critical development of Early German Romanticism and suggest that Goetheâs tender empiricism provides the intellectual backdrop to Benjaminâs later materialism. The chromatic-linguistic model of experience which informs Benjaminâs earliest writings is shown to develop into a dialectics of refractive expression, one that has import consequences for his concept of history and his unorthodox version of cultural materialism. My final chapter examines the influence of Goethe upon what it argues is Benjaminâs quasi-Jungian criticism of Marxism, defending the importance of Jungâs semiotic critique of Freudâs theory of dream symbolism and its relevance for a materialist interpretation of ideology. The relationship between the Goethean and Jungian concepts
Charles, Matthew
Philosophy
Speculative experience and history : Walter Benjamin's Goethean Kantianism. My thesis explicates and defends what I term an implicit Goetheanism present in the philosophy of Walter Benjamin. It begins by examining Benjaminâs early critique of the Kantian and neo-Kantian concept of experience and argues that a Goethean theory of the primal phenomenon provides the phenomenological model for Benjaminâs radical transformation of the neo-Kantian Idea. I analyse the importance of Goetheâs aesthetics of science for Benjaminâs critical development of Early German Romanticism and suggest that Goetheâs tender empiricism provides the intellectual backdrop to Benjaminâs later materialism. The chromatic-linguistic model of experience which informs Benjaminâs earliest writings is shown to develop into a dialectics of refractive expression, one that has import consequences for his concept of history and his unorthodox version of cultural materialism. My final chapter examines the influence of Goethe upon what it argues is Benjaminâs quasi-Jungian criticism of Marxism, defending the importance of Jungâs semiotic critique of Freudâs theory of dream symbolism and its relevance for a materialist interpretation of ideology. The relationship between the Goethean and Jungian concepts
speculative experience history benjamin explicate defend term implicit present philosophy walter_benjamin begin_examine benjamin early critique kantian neo_kantian concept experience argue theory primal phenomenon provide phenomenological model benjamin radical transformation neo_kantian idea analyse importance goethe aesthetic science benjamin critical development early german romanticism suggest goethe empiricism provide intellectual backdrop benjamin later materialism linguistic_model experience informs benjamin early writing show develop dialectic expression import consequence concept history version cultural materialism final examines influence goethe upon argue benjamin quasi criticism marxism defend importance semiotic critique freud theory dream symbolism relevance materialist interpretation ideology relationship concept