Intertwined Realms: The Dual Nature of Representation
The concept of the world as representation posits that the very being of the world is composed of two interrelated and inseparable components, where object and subject complement each other. The object is the side of the world defined by space, time, and the multiplicity of forms; it exists within certain boundaries and is the result of the realization of these forms. On the other hand, the subject is the bearer of cognition, which is not itself bound by the forms of time and space, yet through it the existence of an objective world is assumed.As stated in the material from the file link txt:"The world as representation... has two essential, necessary and inseparable halves. The first of them—the object—takes shape through space and time, and through them multiplicity; the other half—the subject—lies beyond space and time: for it is wholly and indivisibly present in every representing being." (source: link txt)This quote emphasizes that the object gains its existence through the forms by which individual phenomena are differentiated, while the subject, as the bearer and initiator of cognition, cannot be reduced to these forms—it transcends them. Thus, without the subject, the object would be meaningless, and without the object, subjective cognition would lose its direction.Additionally, the perspective of German philosophy, beginning with Kant, demonstrates that the object exists solely as a phenomenon for the subject and attains objectivity through the subject’s internal structural conditions. As noted in the text:"The object exists only for the subject, but the subject has its own internal existence. (...) even for the critical Kant the use of the word 'object' is ambiguous." (source: link txt)Thus, the concept of the world as representation unifies these two principles since the objective world—portrayed through space, time, and forms—arises only in the context of subjective cognition, and the subject achieves self-determination precisely through the capacity to perceive this world. Hence, the objective and the subjective are inseparable—they form a unified whole in which the subject constitutes the object, and the object, given within the framework of forms, becomes the meaningful basis of subjective experience.Supporting citation(s):"The world as representation... has two essential, necessary and inseparable halves. The first of them—the object—takes shape through space and time, and through them multiplicity; the other half—the subject—lies beyond space and time: for it is wholly and indivisibly present in every representing being." (source: link txt)"The object exists only for the subject, but the subject has its own internal existence. (...) even for the critical Kant the use of the word 'object' is ambiguous." (source: link txt)