Crisis and Restitution. Phenomenological Subjectivity as Root of Blumenberg’s Description of Historical Change

This chapter explores the philosophical ideas and descriptions that Blumenberg derived from the phenomenological descriptions of intentional consciousness for his understanding of history. It focuses on the significance of Husserl’s contributions which form the basis of books such as The Legitimacy of the Modern Ages and Work on Myth, demonstrating how they provide a structural foundation that renders historical descriptions coherent and imboues them with a deep philosophical relevance. Therefore, this writing aims to investigate the influence of Husserl rather than Blumenberg’s adherence to the phenomenological method. To achieve this objective, the chapter commences by analyzing the conclusions of his posthumous phenomenological anthropology and its compatiblity with historicity. This section will also elucidate the significance of the anthropological grounding of the intentional subject as exposed in Beschreibung des Menschen. Subsequently, the chapter delves into how the idea of historical crisis as it is studied in The Legitimacy of the Modern Ages aligns with these descriptions of intentionality and its mechanisms of restitution. Lastly, the chapter explains the way in which the philosopher from Lübeck describes the legitimacy of history as a consequence of these procedures and characteristics of subjectivity identifying historicity with humanity. In conclusion, this chapter tries to unveil some of the phenomenological influences that endow Blumenberg’s thought with exceptional philosophical value.