Psychology of Hermann Cohen

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the psychology of the founder of Marburg Neo-Kantianism, Hermann Cohen, that was never formalized into a completed essay. Nevertheless, the philosopher addressed the topic of the place and role of psychology in the philosophical system many times, both in his lecture cour­ses and in his numerous publications, several times declared his desire to write a separate work on psychology, but never realized his plan. The author of the ar­ticle emphasizes the idea of the need to distinguish between the German philoso­pher’s attitude to psychology and psychologism. Rejecting the latter, Cohen never doubted the importance of psychology as a science, and constantly and in­tensely searched for its true place in the system of philosophy. Carrying out the task of getting rid of psychologism, Cohen sought to completely purify his theory of knowledge, as a foundation of philosophy as a whole, from any psy­chological connotations. He tried to draw a clear boundary between empiri­cal and transcendental consciousness, completely depsychologizing the meaning of Kant’s unity of consciousness. According to Cohen, he managed to do this in relation to all parts of his philosophical system, that is, of logic, ethics and aesthetics, but a higher unity of consciousness was required, that could unite these three independent unities. The German philosopher saw such an opportu­nity for the true completion of a philosophical system and the achievement of true unity of consciousness precisely in psychology. In fact, according to Co­hen’s plan, the final synthesis of the system was to be carried out, which could not be produced within the framework of any specific science. The task, appar­ently, was overwhelming. It remained so in the works of the outstanding German philosopher.