The problem of the transcendental from Kant to Hegel. The young Foucault's interpretation of the “Phenomenology of Spirit” in his 1949 mémoire
Christopher H. Bouton
The Southern Journal of Philosophy March 13, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/sjp.70043 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that Foucault's 1949 thesis critiques Kant for an ahistorical transcendental and for failing to reflect on the conditions of access to transcendental philosophy, and that the notion of the 'empirico-transcendental doublet' emerges in this early work, applying to both Kant and Hegel. |
Abstract
In this paper, I explore the young Foucault's engagement with phenomenology in his master's thesis, The Constitution of a Historical Transcendental in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. I begin by outlining the context of this early work (Section 1), followed by a brief summary of the thesis and its overall argumentative structure (Section 2). In Section 3, I analyze Foucault's critique of Kant, which concerns not only Kant's ahistorical conception of the transcendental (3.1), but also the lack of critical reflection on the conditions of access to transcendental philosophy (3.2). Finally, I trace the emergence of the theme of the empirico–transcendental doublet in the 1949 thesis, and consider to what extent this notion applies to both Kant and Hegel (3.3).
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