Kant and Dilthey's Project of "Critique of Historical Reason"

The presented paper attempts to introduce one of the most extensively designed and influential programs of the philosophical criticism in the history of methodological emancipation of the humanities. It is based on the discussion about the position of the "critique of historical reason" in Dilthey's work as a whole. The focus is on whether the project is a literal "criticism" or thematic analogy, and to what extent is it actually possible to reconcile critical intentions of Kant's philosophy and Dilthey's philosophy of life. Dilthey sees the possibility of the "criticism" in the historical character of life, in the fact that life can be understood from life itself. The author consequentially examines Dilthey's epistemological standpoint, modified by the historical consciousness, as well as the epistemological character of his empiricism. She focuses on Dilthey's rejection of the philosophical claim to universality and on his more comprehensive understanding of the inner experience that philosopher supports by anthropological assumptions. Dilthey's rejection of epistemological formalism was joined by the author with his emphasis on the self-reflexivity of the humanities and the transition from the Kantian epistemology to understanding reason of hermeneutics of life. In the interpretation of this intellectual shift the author analyzes Dilthey's reasoning procedure from "inner coherence" as an empirical basis on which she builds the "context" of the spiritual life and the Lebenswelt. The author links Dilthey's shift towards hermeneutics with the tasks of the program of his "criticism" and inclines to M. Riedel's view, according to which Dilthey in the course of the realization of his project gradually replaced the "metaphysics of justifying reason" by the "metaphysics of understanding reason". However, this does not diminish Dilthey's contribution to the development of the methodology and philosophy of science as well as his approach to the crisis of science and philosophy - both found response throughout the 20th century.