The Philosophy of the Practical: Economic and EthicCroce, Benedetto
Philosophy
The Philosophy of the Practical: Economic and Ethic
Croce, Benedetto
Economics; Ethics; Will
In affirming the existence of the practical form of activity, we have
had in view only the theoretical form and have demonstrated that
the one cannot be absorbed and confused in the other, and we have
referred only to the theoretic form, when announcing our intention of
determining the relations of the practical with the other forms of the
spirit. This seems but little correct, and in any case not exhaustive,
because there are or may be other non-theoretical forms of the spirit,
into which the practical form could be resolved. Of these it would be
necessary to take account. And not to beat too long about the bush,
that of which in this case it is question, is the form of _feeling,_
the last or intermediary of the three forms into which it is customary
to divide the spiritual activity: representation, feeling, tendency;
thought, feeling, will. Attempts have not been wanting to reduce
tendency or will to feeling, or, as is said, to a sentimental reaction
from perceptions and thoughts. In fact there is hardly a treatise
of philosophy of the practical without a preliminary study of the
relations between the will and feeling. We cannot, then, escape from
the dilemma; either we must recognize the omission into which we have
fallen and hasten to correct it, or else make explicit the supposition
that may be contained in that omission (which would thus be intentional
and conscious), that _a third general form of the spirit, or a form of
feeling, does not exist._ We have adopted precisely this last position,
and it therefore becomes incumbent upon us briefly to expose the
reasons for which we hold that the concept of feeling must disappear
from the system of the spiritual forms or activities.
[Sidenote: _Various meanings of the word feeling, as a psychological
class._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account