Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Omid Reza Janbaz ¹
• Milad salahifard ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Yasuj

² Student of Philosophy of Science, Sharif University of Technology

Abstract

At the dawn of the modern era, Descartes established the foundation of knowledge on the thinking “I,” emphasizing its central role in self-awareness. In contrast, Hume, relying on empiricist principles, rejected the notion of a continuous and unified “I,” instead portraying it as fragmented and episodic. Despite drawing from Hume’s critical stance, Kant viewed the rational reconstruction of the “I” as an unavoidable necessity. This article examines the process of developing a notion in which the “I” gradually loses its prior, full presence but remains indispensable in the unfolding of action and the realization of the will. Intriguingly, this explanation leads to teleological investigations. In fact, moving beyond a purely causal account of the subject’s spontaneity ultimately requires engaging with such inquiries. The pathway of this exploration is opened by emphasizing the concept of purposiveness as a condition for the possibility of reflective judgments. The interconnected system of concepts that emerges illustrates the point at which the subject manifests as a cognitive, moral, and artistic agent. The “I,” distinct from contents of consciousness, unifies sensory data and grounds cognition; as a free and autonomous subject, it conditions moral necessity and creates its own ethical law, as the bearer of artistic instinct, it acts as the creator and regulator of nature’s rules. This interpretation, by integrating seemingly disjointed elements of Kant’s critical system into a unified whole, demonstrates why the history of thought after Kant no longer discusses the self as a pre-existing entity but rather as an future-oriented agency.

Keywords

• Kant
• self-consciousness
• Active self
• moral agency
• creativity
• consciousness

Main Subjects

• philosophy