Different level Quote by Max Scheler
““One of my principal theses is that in every case the nature of a being (contingent as well as essential nature) can, in principle, be immanent to and truly inherent in knowledge and reflexive consciousness as it is outside of consciousness, and therefore not only as it is represented by some image, perception, idea [*Vorstellung*], or thought. This immanence of the nature of a being to consciousness occurs, of course, with totally different degrees of adequation and on completely different levels of the relativity of its existence to the existence and constitution [*Organisation*] of the "knowing" subject. Existence, however, can never be immanent to consciousness. Rather, existence necessarily transcends knowledge and consciousness and is alien to them. Existence is essentially transcendent and remains independent of them, even in the limiting case of a "divine," omniscient Mind." In other words, the nature and the existence of any possible object are separable with respect to the possibility of their being *in mente* [in the mind]. The nature of a being can be *in mente* and actually is so in any evidential cognition of what a thing is, which excludes cases of illusion and error. Existence can never be *in mente*. I shall speak later of how existence can be "given" despite this. Existence transcends thought, intuition, and perception, as well as any cooperation of thought and intuition in that higher form of knowledge we call cognition. Cognition is the "knowledge of something as something," the coincidence [*Deckung*] of intuition and thought." from_Idealism and Realism_””
About This Quote
Being’s essential nature can be known internally, but existence itself remains transcendent and cannot be fully captured by consciousness.
In simple terms: Nature is knowable; existence transcends mind.
Knowledge is immanent; existence is transcendent.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- academic seminars
- theoretical writing
- spiritual contemplation
Key Concepts
Practical Applications
- distinguish between conceptual understanding and ontological claims
- use reflective meditation to explore immanent aspects
Questions to Reflect On
- Can we ever truly know existence?
- How does this view affect our approach to knowledge?
The distinction may blur in practical experience where mind and world interact intimately.