Some Problems of Lotze's Theory of Knowledge (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER III. REALITY AND KNOWLEDGE. In the preceding chapter it has been shown that Lotze regards reality as known. Ideas and thoughts are our knowledge of reality, and when we have thoughts or ideas we possess thoughts and ideas about reality. They are not thoughts about nothing, nor are they thoughts about themselves, but they are about reality. Furthermore, Lotze has demonstrated that thoughts are not real things, but they are about real things, and exist in a conscious being as "habits of action" or cognitive activities. So far this discussion has brought us. But were it to be left here, Lotze's position would be given only imperfectly. It is our purpose, therefore, to continue our exposition of Lotze's theory of knowledge in order to discover more definitely what his positive doctrine is. To this end it is important to understand his conception of reality, and the relation in which the knowing subject stands to it. This is important because the theory he advocates is a departure from a good deal of the idealism of the day. This departure from accepted lines can be stated in this way: Kant and some Post-Kantians finding that things, as more than phenomena, are unknowable, held that the phenomenal world only is known. Consequently, the categories belong to appearance and cannot be applied to the world of real things. It is true that this school affirms that categories constitute the nature of objects, but objects are only phenomenal. Or to speak psychologically, objects are ideas, and groups of ideas, associated ideas, or even a union of peripherally and centrally aroused sensations. The object is plainly the mental construct, express it as we may. Therefore, we may claim that the characteristic distinction between critical and absolute idealism is tha...