The problem of the philosophy of consciousness

pp. 61-82

in: Aron Gurwitsch, The collected works of Aron Gurwitsch (1901–1973) I, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

The essential characteristic of modern philosophy, as opposed to ancient and medieval philosophy, consists in no longer focusing upon being and objects in the human soul, but in placing the consciousness of objective being in the foreground of one's interest and in regarding consciousness as a particular domain. The discovery of consciousness was one of Descartes' notable achievements, and thereafter consciousness became the principal theme of philosophy.