Consciousness with Body and Soul: an Attempt at Cohen’s Never-Written Psychology
RUDN Journal of Philosophy October 6, 2021 Hans Martin Dober
The essay argues against reducing human consciousness to algorithms, natural processes, or social constructions, which challenge ethical humanism. It seeks to defend embodied subjectivity, freedom, and the unity of thought, will, and feeling, while reviving the concept of the soul. Drawing on Hermann Cohen's Neo-Kantian philosophy, the first part examines his early interpretation of Plato as the foundation for a systematic psychology Cohen never wrote. It shows how Cohen's Logic, Ethics, and Aesthetics address questions from his early work, with special attention to his philosophy of religion. The self-movement of the soul and its connection to the body are understood through the unity of human culture and the wholeness of man.