Epistemology Quote by Max Scheler
““We must reject entirely the frequently encountered assertion that consciousness is a "primal fact," that one ought not speak of an "origin" of consciousness. The very same laws and motives in accordance with which we think of consciousness' raising itself from one level of reflection to the next will apply when we think of consciousness itself originating out of a preconscious, partly subconscious, partly supraconscious condition of the being of the contents of knowledge. (And the motive is always suffering of some sort, suffering, as we shall see, at the hands of the real being [*Realsein*] which is ecstatically given prior to all consciousness.) Only a very definite historical stage of overreflective bourgeois civilization could make the fact of consciousness the starting point of all theoretical philosophy, without characterizing more exactly the mode of being of this consciousness." ―from_Idealism and Realism_””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Idealism and Realism, 1930s
Argues consciousness is not a primal fact but emerges from pre‑conscious layers, shaped by suffering and historical conditions.
In simple terms: Consciousness arises from deeper layers and suffering.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the roots of consciousness.
Themes
philosophy
psychology
history
suffering
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- therapy
- education
- cultural analysis
- self‑reflection
Key Concepts
emergent consciousness
pre‑conscious
historical materialism
Questions to Reflect On
- What pre‑conscious factors shape your thoughts?
- Can suffering be a catalyst for growth?
A Different Perspective
Oversimplifies complex neuro‑philosophical debates.
![“Only after the concept of knowledge has been based on an ontological relation [*Seinsverhältnis*] can we work out the particular kind of being from which the principle of immanence-to-consciousness (the starting point of Idealism and Critical Realism) mistakenly proceeds as though from a primary…” quote by Max Scheler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/65c/max-scheler-21013_epistemology_only-after-the-concept-of-knowledge-has_492525.jpg)
![“Love loves and in loving always looks beyond what it has in hand and possesses. The driving impulse [*Triebimpuls*] which arouses may tire out; love itself does not tire. This *sursum corda* which is the essence of love may take on fundamentally different forms at different elevations in the…” quote by Max Scheler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc4/max-scheler-21013_axiology_love-loves-and-in-loving-always-looks-be_248149.jpg)
![“All that is worthy of love [*die Liebenswürdigkeiten*], from the viewpoint of God's comprehensive love, might have been stamped and created by this act of love; man's love does not so stamp or create its objects. Man's love is restricted to recognizing the objective demand these objects make and…” quote by Max Scheler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ece/max-scheler-21013_ability-to-love_all-that-is-worthy-of-love-die-liebensw_1325365.jpg)
