Enlightenment Critical Reason: Permanencies, Absences, Resurgences. This essay sketches a history of the notion of “reason” starting with common sense, defining a triple axis of meanings of the term, as reworked by philosophy. Reason as: 1/ a specific procedure of exact knowledge of facts; 2/ a method of evaluation of individual situations; 3/ a guide of (good) conduct. Through the ancient opposition between instinct (ormè) and reason (lògos), the path of western ratio witnesses first the submission of reason to the intellect – typical of the medieval age – and then in the modern age the recovery of the primacy of reason, which has regained its position as a special critical faculty peculiar to the intellect: “the power of judging correctly and of distinguishing the true from the false” (Descartes). The critical reason of the Enlightenment derives from this filiation: it is the faculty of the soul that makes the constitution of knowledge possible by guaranteeing its circularity, its presence in every aspect of human experience (Diderot, Encyclopédie). And in the final instance, this reason then becomes critical of itself, in view of the unconditioned (Kant): it was to be the great writers and novelists of the Age of Enlightenment (Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, etc.) who would define the last chapter of this “history of pure reason”, the epic and critical one, which would proceed further, towards a new history of the human spirit, with its permanencies, absences and resurgences.
Questo saggio traccia una storia della nozione di «ragione» a partire dal senso comune, che definisce un triplice asse di significati del termine, rigiocato poi dalla filosofia. Ragione come: 1/ procedimento specifico di conoscenza esatta del mondo dei fatti; 2/ metodo di valutazione delle situazioni individuali; 3/ guida della (buona) condotta. Attraverso l’antica opposizione tra istinto (ormè) e ragione (lògos), il percorso della ratio occidentale vede prima la sottomissione della ragione all’intelletto – tipica dell’età medievale – e nell’età moderna il recupero del primato della ragione, che riacquista i propri diritti come speciale facoltà critica propria dell’intelletto stesso: «La puissance de bien juger et de distinguer le vrai d’avec le faux» (Cartesio). La ragione critica dell’Illuminismo deriva da questa filiazione: è la facoltà dell’anima che rende possibile la costituzione della conoscenza garantendo la sua circolarità, la sua presenza in ogni aspetto dell’esperienza umana (Diderot, Encyclopédie). E in ultima istanza, tale ragione diventa poi critica di se stessa, in vista dell’incondizionato (Kant): saranno i grandi scrittori e romanzieri dell’età dei lumi (Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, ecc.) a definire l’ultimo capitolo di questa «storia della ragione pura», quello epico e critico, che procederà oltre, verso una nuova storia dello spirito umano, con le sue permanenze, assenze e risorgenze.
Quintili, P. (2022). La Raison critique illuministica : permanenze, assenze, risorgenze. In R. Carbone (a cura di), Modernità e critica = Modernity and Critique = Modernité et critique (pp. 117-137). Napoli : La Città del Sole.
La Raison critique illuministica : permanenze, assenze, risorgenze
QUINTILI
Membro del Collaboration Group
2022-11-01
Abstract
Enlightenment Critical Reason: Permanencies, Absences, Resurgences. This essay sketches a history of the notion of “reason” starting with common sense, defining a triple axis of meanings of the term, as reworked by philosophy. Reason as: 1/ a specific procedure of exact knowledge of facts; 2/ a method of evaluation of individual situations; 3/ a guide of (good) conduct. Through the ancient opposition between instinct (ormè) and reason (lògos), the path of western ratio witnesses first the submission of reason to the intellect – typical of the medieval age – and then in the modern age the recovery of the primacy of reason, which has regained its position as a special critical faculty peculiar to the intellect: “the power of judging correctly and of distinguishing the true from the false” (Descartes). The critical reason of the Enlightenment derives from this filiation: it is the faculty of the soul that makes the constitution of knowledge possible by guaranteeing its circularity, its presence in every aspect of human experience (Diderot, Encyclopédie). And in the final instance, this reason then becomes critical of itself, in view of the unconditioned (Kant): it was to be the great writers and novelists of the Age of Enlightenment (Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, etc.) who would define the last chapter of this “history of pure reason”, the epic and critical one, which would proceed further, towards a new history of the human spirit, with its permanencies, absences and resurgences.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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