Die Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos

The aim of this study, originally presented as a lecture in 1927, is to develop an unabridged, unified, and historically open conception of the essence of humanity based on broad empirical foundations and in critical engagement with one-sided anthropological ideas of the Western tradition. Starting from specifically human behavior, Scheler demonstrates that while humans are embedded in the layers of biopsychic life—from basic emotional drives through instinct, associative memory, to the drive-bound, pragmatic intelligence of the most highly organized apes—they distinguish themselves from the entire biopsychic life through the spirit, which is what establishes a human existence. However, since the spirit can only develop ideas through its various acts (rational cognition, value cognition, volitional determinations) but does not possess the power to realize them, it relies on drawing from the life forces the energies necessary for the realization of its projects. Thus, life and spirit are fundamentally interdependent; bringing them into an ever more comprehensive balance is the destiny of humanity and the true task of humankind as a whole. The new critical edition of the position of humans in the cosmos finally presents this important text, which was inadequately edited in the collected works, in a reliable edition. The deviations of the printed editions from the original lecture version and all the interventions of the editors in the text after Scheler's death are meticulously documented.