The Kant-von Herbert correspondence: a simple case of pathologization of female subjectivity?
Journal title RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA
Author/s Ilaria Ferrara
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2025/4
Language Italian Pages 23 P. 652-674 File size 253 KB
DOI 10.3280/SF2025-004008
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The Author analyses the relationship between the philosopher Im- manuel Kant and the Austrian noblewoman Maria von Herbert through their brief cor- respondence from 1791 to 1794. After reconstructing the history of their exchange and Kant’s responses to her questions, the paper focuses on Kantian considerations about von Herbert as “little visionary” [die kleine Schwärmerin], especially regarding his in- terest in mental illnesses, which he explores in depth in “Anthropology from a Prag- matic Point of View” (1798). Far from offering only a critical view of Kant’s often elusive responses to the young woman, the essay considers a possible (not solely neg- ative) reinterpretation of female knowledge and imagination in their epistemic value.
Keywords: Immanuel Kant, Maria von Herbert, Female Imagination, Kantian Ethics, Mental Illness, Philosophical Correspondence.
Ilaria Ferrara, Il carteggio Kant-von Herbert: un semplice caso di patologizzazione della soggettività femminile? in "RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA" 4/2025, pp 652-674, DOI: 10.3280/SF2025-004008