Who posited the concept "the refusal to apperceive"?
The concept of the "refusal to apperceive" (Apperzeptionsverweigerung) was posited by the Austrian novelist Heimito von Doderer, most notably in his 1956 novel The Demons (Die Dämonen). [1, 2]
While Doderer originated the term, it became a central component of the political philosophy of Eric Voegelin. Voegelin adopted it to describe a "defect of will" where an individual intentionally shuts their consciousness off from reality to maintain a delusional "secondary reality" or ideology. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Aspects of the Concept:
Definition: It describes a psychological and spiritual state where a person recognizes a truth about reality but willfully refuses to incorporate it into their conscious understanding.
"Secondary Reality": Doderer and Voegelin used this term to explain how people living in "refusal" construct artificial, ideological worlds to replace the "primary reality" they find unbearable or inconvenient.
Pneumopathology: Voegelin categorized this refusal as a form of "spiritual disease" (pneumopathology), where the closure of the soul leads to social and political disorder, such as that seen in totalitarian movements. [1, 2, 4, 5, 6]
Would you like to explore how this concept relates to Voegelinâs critique of modern ideologies or totalitarianism?
[1] https://voegelinview.com [2] https://voegelinview.com [3] https://voegelinview.com [4] https://voegelinview.com [5] https://ndl.ethernet.edu.et [6] https://voegelinview.com
Yes
In Eric Voegelinâs philosophy, the "refusal to apperceive" is the engine that drives modern totalitarianism. He viewed it as a willful act where people "close" their souls to reality in order to pursue ideological goals. [1, 2] Here is how it connects to his critique of modern ideologies and totalitarianism:
1. The Creation of a "Second Reality"
When an ideologue refuses to apperceive (perceive or recognize) aspects of reality that contradict their worldviewâsuch as human nature, the limits of power, or the existence of a transcendent orderâthey don't simply live in a void. Instead, they construct a "Second Reality". [3, 4, 5]
- The Lie: This second reality is an imaginative construct designed to replace the primary, common reality.
- The Conflict: Totalitarianism arises when the ideologue attempts to force the rest of society to live within this artificial world, leading to a violent clash with those who still recognize "First Reality". [6, 7, 8]
2. Pneumopathology (Spiritual Disease)
Voegelin categorized the refusal to apperceive as pneumopathology, or a "disease of the spirit". [1, 4]
It is not an intellectual error but a defect of the will.
The person knows the truth at some level but chooses to ignore it because it interferes with their desire for "absolute" control or a utopian future.
This "closure of consciousness" makes rational debate impossible because the ideologue has already decided to ignore any evidence that doesn't fit their system. [2, 7, 8, 9]
3. Modern Gnosticism
Voegelin famously linked this refusal to Gnosticism. He argued that modern movements like Nazism and Communism were "political religions" that shared the ancient Gnostic belief that the world is fundamentally flawed and can be "saved" or perfected through human knowledge (gnosis) and action. [10, 11, 12]
- The "refusal" here is the denial of the metaxy (the "In-Between"), which is the human condition of living between the finite and the infinite.
- By refusing to apperceive this inherent limitation, modern ideologies promise a "heaven on earth" that inevitably leads to the "hell" of totalitarian control when reality fails to cooperate. [1, 2, 7, 8]
4. Totalitarian Logic
In a totalitarian regime, the refusal to apperceive becomes institutionalized.
Propaganda serves as the "language" of the Second Reality, and terror is the tool used to suppress the "friction" caused by the primary reality.
For example, Voegelin analyzed how Nazi ideology required a refusal to apperceive the common humanity of all people, replacing it with a "Second Reality" of racial hierarchy. [4, 5, 8, 13]
Would you like to see how Voegelin applied this specifically to his analysis of Nazi Germany or his critique of Karl Marx?
[1] https://voegelinview.com [2] https://voegelinview.com [3] https://voegelinview.com [4] https://ndl.ethernet.edu.et [5] https://dokumen.pub [6] https://voegelinview.com [7] https://voegelinview.com [8] https://voegelinview.com [9] https://voegelinview.com [10] https://papers.iafor.org [11] https://academic.oup.com [12] https://www.researchgate.net [13] https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk