The Freedom of the Imagination and the Phenomenology of Free Play
Abstract
Abstract In the Critique of the Power of Judgement , Kant defines the relation of harmony between the faculties as constituted by the freedom of the imagination and the lawfulness of the understanding. The freedom of the imagination, however, has been broadly understood as directed towards the cognitive needs of the understanding. I propose a novel interpretation, based on Kant’s statements in the General Remark: freedom should be understood as signifying an activity emanating from imagination’s own spontaneity, directed towards the satisfaction of imagination’s own needs, and is revealed through a distinctive phenomenology in the apprehension of the beautiful forms of nature.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Kantian Philosophy and Modern Interpretations
Ethics
Aesthetics
and Art
Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Kantian Review
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 115–133
- Publication date
- 24 February 2026
- Language
- EN