„Ignorabimusstreit” in 19th century Romania: Consciousness as a limit of natural science Cover Image

Controversa „Ignorabimus” în România secolului al XIX-lea: Conștiința ca limită a cunoașterii științifice
„Ignorabimusstreit” in 19th century Romania: Consciousness as a limit of natural science

Author(s): Mona Mamulea
Subject(s): History of Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, 19th Century Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Published by: Editura Academiei Române
Keywords: consciousness as subjective experience; mechanical explanation; ontological materialism; scientific psychology; limits of science; Emil Du Bois-Reymond; Titu Maiorescu; C. Rădulescu-Motru;

Summary/Abstract: Du Bois-Reymond’s „Ignorabimus” could have been a game changer in the last decades of 19th century, but it wasn’t. The sound argument of the German physiologist concerning the limits of natural science, although it was indeed taken seriously and confronted by all means, was in fact so severely distorted by opponents that one could hardly recognize it in the straw men generated in the process. By scrutinizing three less known approaches dug up from 19th century Romanian literature, the present paper focuses on the theoretical commitments that prevented the consciousness issue to be properly addressed.

  • Issue Year: XVII/2021
  • Issue No: 17
  • Page Range: 87-103
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Romanian