BODY AND PRACTICE IN KANT

outlook in the development of Kant’s philosophy. On the surface, the
work is written as an examination of the ideas of Swedenborg. Kant lets
it be understood, however, that indirectly the examination also relates to
certain aspects of traditional ontology, more specifically rational
psychology and its claims to possess decisive knowledge about the human
mind or soul.
Among those ascribing a fundamental significance to Dreams of a
spirit-seer in Kant’s intellectual development are Laywine and
Schönfeld. 64 According to them, because Kant’s earlier discussions of the
mind-body problem had been infected by dubious ontological
assumptions, a fact he now realized, the text may also be read as a critical
examination of Kant’s own position before 1766. In fact, they argue, this
was the real aim of the work. The real target of Dreams of a spirit-seer
was neither Swedenborg nor rational psychology in general, but Kant’s
own previously held position. Consequently, Dreams of a spirit-seer
represents a crisis in his pre-critical project. I will return to discuss this
idea of a crisis a little later. First, however, let us take a look at the text.
From the very outset he establishes a sarcastic, critical tone which is
going to characterize large parts of the text. If we add together all that
schoolboys and philosophers have to say about spirits [Geister], he
comments, then it may seem that we possess quite a lot of knowledge in
this field. However, this is hardly the case.
35
If it were to occur to someone to linger for a while over the question
as to what this thing which, under the name of spirit [Geist], people
claim to understand so well, exactly is, all the know-alls would be put
in a very embarrassing position. 65
For his own part, Kant admits, he does not know what a spirit is. He
does not even know what the term ‘spirit’ means. 66
In order to sort out his
thoughts concerning what a spirit is, and also, we must assume, the
thoughts of the reader, he then asks us to perform a thought experiment.
Imagine a cubic foot of space and imagine it to be filled up so that
nothing more can be placed inside it. 67 No one would refer to such an
entity as spiritual as it would obviously be of a material nature. And it
would possess all the properties we typically ascribe to a material object,
64 Cf. Laywine (1993), 8ff. and Schönfeld, (2000), 238ff.
65
Ak II: 319.
66
Ak II: 320.
67
Ak II: 320.
THE EMBODIED MIND