Kant’s turn in the account of feeling: Critical response to the XVIII century sentimentalism

Abstract

Rationalism marked the first half of XVIII century German philosophy. Yet, in the second half of the century a new tendency - which based its orientation towards aesthetics on immediate feeling - emerged and ultimately paved the way to German romanticism. This paper aims to show the main features of Kant?s response to this new tendency. However, this response must be understood in terms of Kant?s transcendental philosophy and his tripartite division of irreducible faculties of the mind. I will argue that the development of Kant?s position was based on his account of the Feeling as a separate faculty of the mind, and the principle of purposiveness as an apriori principle for this faculty.