Heart and Self-Consciousness. Or how Feelings Make Part of Human Consciousness
Abstract
Since Brentano it has been pointed out that conscience is intentional, so it is directed towards and object. This seems clear, given the intentionality of intelligence, and that consciousness is intellectual in nature. However, an author like Levinas has highlighted that consciousness shows a non-intentional element, and Wojtyła, in its turn, denies intentionality to consciousness as such, arguing that this trait pertains only to its acts of knowledge. From a Steinian concept of intentionality I study the non-intentional side of consciousness, trying to explain how can it be intellectual and non-intentional, and I suggest some kind of feeling entity might be responsible for this special characteristic.References
Aquinas, T. (2000). S. Thomae de Aquino Opera Omnia. Recognovit ac instruxit Enrique Alarcón automato electronico https://www.corpusthomisticum.org/iopera.html. University of Navarra (Most of his works consulted there, from 2019 to 2022).
De veritate. Bilingual text Latin-English in https://isidore.co/aquinas/QDdeVer10.htm (consulted during 2021).
Scriptum super Sententiis IV (Commentary on the Sentences, bilingual text Latin-English) https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~Sent.IV.D49.Q1.A1.Q2.3 (consulted during 2021).
Aristotle. Metaphysics. Transl. W. D. Ross. https://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/metaphysics.html (consulted on 2025).
Crespo, M. (2015). Moritz Geiger on the Consciousness of Feelings. Studia Phænomenologica 15: 375-393. https://doi.org/10.5840/studphaen20151519.
(2018). Sobre el sentimiento de valor en Edith Stein. Steiniana – Revista de Estudios Interdisciplinarios, 2(1): 9-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.7764/Steiniana.2.2018.6.
Duden (1989). Deutsches Universalwörterbuch. Dudenverlag.
Eleuxis-web (2025). Greek-English dictionary. https://outils.biblissima.fr/fr/eulexis-web/
Ferrater Mora, J. (2005) Diccionario de Filosofía. RBA.
Gomá, F. (1989). Scheler y la ética de los valores. V. Camps (ed.), Historia de la ética. 3. La ética contemporánea. Crítica: 296-326.
Gudín, M. (2001). Cerebro y afectividad. Eunsa.
Haecker, T. (1934). Schöpfer und Schöpfung. Hegner.
Hildebrand, D. von. (2007). The Heart: An Analysis of Human and Divine Affectivity. Augustine Press.
Husserl, E. (1950). Cartesianische Meditationen und Pariser Vorträge. Husserliana, Band I. S. Strasser (ed.). Nijhoff.
(1952). Ideen zu einer reinen Phänomenologie und phänomenologischen Philosophie. Zweites Buch. Husserliana, Band IV. M. Biemel (ed.). Nijhoff.
(1964). The Paris Lectures. Trans. and edition by P. Koestenbaum. Springer.
(1984) Logische Untersuchungen. Zweiter Band. I. Teil. Husserliana XIX/1. U. Panzer (ed.). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
(1997). Thing and Space. Lectures of 1907. Trans. by R. Rojcewicz. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
(2001). The Shorter Logical Investigations. Trans. by J. N. Findlay. Routledge.
Kant, I. (2006). Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. Cambridge University Press.
Langenscheidt. (on-line). German–English dictionary. Langenscheidt Verlag. https://en.langenscheidt.com/german-english.
Larrauri, L. A. de. (2018). Persona y relación en Edith Stein. Contribuciones a una concepción relacional de la persona. Doctoral Thesis. Universidad Complutense.
https://eprints.ucm.es/id/eprint/55704/.
Levinas, E. (1991). La conscience non-intentionnelle. Entre nous. Essais sur le penser-à-l’autre. Grasset: 141-151.
Lyons, W. (1985). Emotion. Cambridge University Press.
Natorp, P. (1912). Allgemeine Psychologie nach kritischer Methode. Erstes Buch. J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck).
Neuman, Mª. del R. (2014). Metafísica de la inteligibilidad y la autoconciencia en Tomás de Aquino. EUNSA.
Österreich, K. (1910). Die Phänomenologie des Ich in ihren Grundproblemen. Bd. 1: Das Ich und das Selbstbewußtsein, die scheinbare Spaltung des Ich. Johann Ambrosius Barth.
Pérez López, I. (2017). La teoría de la conciencia de Antonio Millán-Puelles y Karol Wojtyła. Un estudio comparativo. EDUSC.
Ricoeur, P. (1960). Finitude et culpabilité. I. L’homme faillible. Aubier Montaigne.
(1986). Fallible Man. Translated by Charles Kelbley. Fordham University Press.
Scheler, M. (1916). Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materiale Wertethik. Max Niemeyer.
(1954). The nature of sympathy. Yale University Press.
(1973a). Wesen und Formen der Sympathie / Die deutsche Philosophie der Gegenwart. M. S. Frings (ed.). Francke.
(1973b). Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Values: A New Attempt Toward the Foundation of an Ethical Personalism. Northwestern University Press.
(2005). Esencia y formas de la simpatía. Trans. by J. Gaos, reviewed and presented by Í. Vendrell Ferrán. Sígueme.
Stein, E. (1929). Husserls Phänomenologie und die Philosophie des heiligen Thomas v. Aquino. Jahrbuch für Philosophie und phänomenologische Forschung. Band X (Ergänzungsband: Festschrift E. Husserl zum 70. Gebeurtstag gewidmet): 315-338.
(1989). On the problem of empathy. Translated by W. Stein, Ph.D. ICS Publications. Third revised edition.
(2000a). Grundlagen der Frauenbildung. Die Frau. Fragestellungen und Reflexionen. ESGA 13. M. A. Neyer (ed.). Herder: 30-45.
(2000b). Philosophy of Psychology and the Humanities. Translated by M. C. Baseheart and M. Sawicki. ICS Publications.
(2001). Der Intellekt und die Intellektuellen. Bildung und Entfaltung der Individualität. M. ESGA 16. A. Neyer (ed.). Herder: 143-156.
(2002). Science of the Cross. Translated by Josephine Koeppel. ICS Publications.
(2004a). Einführung in die Philosophie. ESGA 8. C. M. Wulf (ed.). Herder.
(2004b). Der Aufbau der menschlichen Person: Vorlesung zur philosophischen Anthropologie. ESGA 14. Beckmann-Zöller (ed.). Herder.
(2006). Endliches und ewiges Sein: Versuch eines Aufstiegs zum Sinn des Seins. ESGA 11-12. A. U. Müller (ed.). Herder.
(2008). Zum Problem der Einfühlung. ESGA 5. M. A. Sondermann (ed.). Herder.
(2010). Beiträge zur philosophischen Begründung der Psychologie und der Geisteswissenschaften. ESGA 6. B. Beckmann-Zöller (ed.). Herder.
Tallon, A. (1997). Head and Heart. Affection, Cognition, Volition as Triune Consciousness. Fordham University Press.
Wojtyła, K. (2021). Person and Act and Related Essays. The Catholic University of America Press.
