The Depths of Experience: on the Neo-Kantian Interpretation of the Critical Method

This paper examines the distinctive features characterizing the Neo-Kantian defense of the critical method. Neo-Kantianism is distinguished by its unique interpretation of the philosophical method as a regressive procedure. Hermann Cohen and Wilhelm Windelband, prominent figures within this philosophical tradition, articulate the structure of transcendental reasoning as a movement that starts from a specific Faktum of cultural life and proceeds towards elucidating its conditions of possibility. Despite a broad consensus on this overarching framework, these philosophers diverge in their choice of the primary Faktum for analysis. Cohen focuses on the physico-mathematical sciences, while Windelband directs his attention to the foundations of history. Considering this disparity, this paper argues that the determination of the methodological Faktum in philosophy is not arbitrary; rather, it is informed by two distinct interpretations of the relationship between thinking and being. Furthermore, it contends that elucidating this overlooked aspect of the theory of method enables a more nuanced evaluation of the Neo-Kantian regressive methodology and its relationship with metaphysics.