One of the most characteristic features of classical pragmatism is the opposition to the Cartesian principle of self-transparency, a principle which in fact has been widely criticized also by Marx, Freud and a number of twentieth century’s philosophers. Thus, the notion of the authenticity of the self seems nowadays almost unsustainable, and the so called ‘disso-lution of the subject’– brought about by in the second half of last century – might be con-sidered as a corollary of this criticism of Cartesian epistemology of the self. However, a re-flection on the notion of authenticity, based on the rich store of critical knowledge now available to us, is perhaps very important in order to clarify the basic structure of that rela-tionship to one’s self through which, in concrete experience, one constructs self-understanding and the image of oneself to offer to others. In the following, I address this possibility and show that the overcoming of the Cartesian perspective on the theme of personal identity is not necessarily equivalent to the ‘dissolution of the subject’. In this light, I will present a few remarks about contemporary approaches to the epistemology of the self, in order to point out the lively presence of some distinctive features of pragmatism in cur-rent philosophical debates on the issue. In particular: 1. The externalist methodology, i.e. the overcoming of introspection as a primary crite-rion for the access to the so-called ‘inner world’ and, consequently, the pragmatist restructuring of the conceptual couple inner/outer. 2. The critique of the essentialist notion of the subject/consciousness and the alterna-tive conception of subjectivity as dynamic, plastic, and – finally – a socio-historical reality. 3. The positive emphasis on language as an epistemic dimension, that is, the impor-tance assigned to communicative practices as pivotal activities for every type of knowledge. 4. The interweaving of subjectivity and normativity, namely, the acknowledgment of normativity as a distinctive feature of the human mind.
Calcaterra, R.M. (2010). Epistemology of the self in a pragmatic mood. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PRAGMATISM AND AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY, 2(1), 1-12.
Epistemology of the self in a pragmatic mood
CALCATERRA, Rosa Maria
2010-01-01
Abstract
One of the most characteristic features of classical pragmatism is the opposition to the Cartesian principle of self-transparency, a principle which in fact has been widely criticized also by Marx, Freud and a number of twentieth century’s philosophers. Thus, the notion of the authenticity of the self seems nowadays almost unsustainable, and the so called ‘disso-lution of the subject’– brought about by in the second half of last century – might be con-sidered as a corollary of this criticism of Cartesian epistemology of the self. However, a re-flection on the notion of authenticity, based on the rich store of critical knowledge now available to us, is perhaps very important in order to clarify the basic structure of that rela-tionship to one’s self through which, in concrete experience, one constructs self-understanding and the image of oneself to offer to others. In the following, I address this possibility and show that the overcoming of the Cartesian perspective on the theme of personal identity is not necessarily equivalent to the ‘dissolution of the subject’. In this light, I will present a few remarks about contemporary approaches to the epistemology of the self, in order to point out the lively presence of some distinctive features of pragmatism in cur-rent philosophical debates on the issue. In particular: 1. The externalist methodology, i.e. the overcoming of introspection as a primary crite-rion for the access to the so-called ‘inner world’ and, consequently, the pragmatist restructuring of the conceptual couple inner/outer. 2. The critique of the essentialist notion of the subject/consciousness and the alterna-tive conception of subjectivity as dynamic, plastic, and – finally – a socio-historical reality. 3. The positive emphasis on language as an epistemic dimension, that is, the impor-tance assigned to communicative practices as pivotal activities for every type of knowledge. 4. The interweaving of subjectivity and normativity, namely, the acknowledgment of normativity as a distinctive feature of the human mind.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
