Alexandre Kojève, “Immanence and transcendence” (1939)

Abstract Alexandre Kojève’s “Immanence et transcendence” (1939) critically examines Father Grégoire’s attempt to prove the existence of God through metaphysical causality. In line with his 1930s lectures on Hegel, Kojève contends that theism and atheism are not resolvable through theoretical reason alone but require a practical decision. This early, previously unpublished text gives a unique insight into Kojève’s criticism of transcendence, echoing earlier ideas from his Russian manuscript on Atheism (1931). Ultimately, for Kojève atheism is not merely a negation of God but an active decision based on freedom.