Erenfried Walter von Tschirnhaus: «Medicina mentis» as the First Philosophy and General Science

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22240/sent33.02.093

Keywords:

cartesianism, rationalism, empiricism, criticism, first philosophy, general science, critical method, Spinoza, Leibniz

Abstract

The treatise of E.W. von Tschirnhaus «Medicina mentis»… is discussed in this article in the context of formation of Kant’s transcendental criticism. The study of theoretical sources of Tschirnhaus’s epistemology shows that, despite the strong influence of Spinoza and Leibniz, Tschirnhaus is closer to the Cartesian tradition. Trying to eliminate the metaphysical backgrounds from philosophy, he brings together empirical and rationalist traditions as close as possible. Such «critical convergence» results in the «subjective turn» that (partly through Ch. Wolff, but mainly through I.N. Tetens) leads to Kant's transcendental idealism.

Author Biography

Sergiy Secundant, I. Mechnikov Odessa National University

doctor of sciences in philosophy, associated professor of Department of Philosophy and Grounds of Humanities

References

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Published

2015-12-16

How to Cite

Secundant, S. (2015). Erenfried Walter von Tschirnhaus: «Medicina mentis» as the First Philosophy and General Science. Sententiae, 33(2), 93–107. https://doi.org/10.22240/sent33.02.093

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