Stephen Scheidell

Dr. Benson
PHIL 280
Word count: 256
Kant !ichte "arion
#t $ace %alue& "arion's saturated pheno(enon see(s to in%erse !ichte's su)*ect+
o)*ect relation. #$ter ti(e enou,h to re$lect& I ca(e to %ie- "arion's saturated
pheno(enon as an insi,ht$ul .uali$ication o$ !ichte's relation. While !ichte ar,ues that
the I constitutes the pheno(enon& "arion's saturated pheno(enon constitutes the I /001.
!or "arion& the e2e /percei%in, su)*ect1 sees that -hich it cannot ,a3e upon 4 its o-n
li(itations as de$ined )2 Kant's spacio+te(poral $ra(e-or5.
6he saturated pheno(enon& as that -hich is e7perienced outside o$ the spacio+
te(poral $ra(e-or5& constitutes the I onl2 in the sense that it re%eals that not e%er2
e7perience $alls into the 8conditions8 $or e7perience. 6his sho-s to the I /pace Kant and
!ichte1 that it does not create $or itsel$ e%er2 pheno(enon. In other -ords& the saturated
pheno(enon $orces the idealist to ad(it that a -orld& un$ettered and unattaina)le )2
hu(an hori3ons& ,i%es itsel$ to the I. 6he pheno(enon& thus& constitutes the I.
Here& the saturated pheno(enon )e,s the .uestion: In -hat -a2 does the
unsaturated pheno(enon constitute the I9 :an -e sa2 the I constitutes unsaturated
pheno(ena& -hile saturated pheno(ena constitutes& not the I itsel$& )ut the I's
li(itations9 While he clearl2 de(onstrates that the saturated pheno(enon constitutes the
I& the present student $ails to see the -a2 in -hich "arion's insi,ht alters /,reatl21 the
relation o$ the I to those pheno(ena -hich still $all conditioned )2 the spacio+te(poral
$ra(e-or5. I$ -e are too distin,uish )et-een pheno(ena& should -e not also distin,uish
)et-een the relations the I has -ith the t-o9 Perhaps "arion ans-ers these .uestions
else-here.