La sovranità della costruzione: mos geometricus e idealismo tedesco

Abstract

The present article aims to show the crucial importance of reconsidering German idealism from the point of view of the modern debate on the mathematical method in philosophy. In order to do that, I begin pointing out why we should not take Hegel’s critique against mathematical method as a complete destruction of the modern idea of a mathematical philosophy. This will lead to a further question: what was the true nature of the modern attempt to reform philosophy in such a way it can be considered as certain as mathematics? Modern mathematics will be shown to be grounded on the notion of construction, which determines the conceptual framework of philosophers like Descartes, Hobbes and Spinoza. In this way, it should become clear why Kant describes mathematics as the construction of a concept in pure intuition and the significance this notion obtains in Schelling’s reflection on the condition of scientific philosophy. After that, I will argue that Hegel’s speculative idealism takes its first move from Schelling’s notion of constructive philosophy. As a conclusion, I will argue that Hegelian idealism supports the modern mathematical concept of truth.