Medical and moral consultation: Kant, Maria von Herbert and the illness of body and soul.
Journal title RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA
Author/s Marco Bresadola, Antonino Falduto
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2025/4
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 637-651 File size 218 KB
DOI 10.3280/SF2025-004007
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The article analyses the epistolary exchange between Maria von Her- bert and Immanuel Kant, contextualising it within 18th-century medical consultation practices. To achieve this, the fundamental characteristics of modern medical consulta- tion will firstly be delineated by examining the motivations behind consultation re- quests, which often originated with the patients themselves, and the nature of the ex- pert opinions provided by consulting physicians, who were frequently renowned fig- ures in their field. Secondly, Kant’s role as a consultant and moral physician is empha- sised through an analysis of his advice to Maria von Herbert. In this advice, he propos- es a solution that both upholds reason and centralises the body within philosophical discourse. In conclusion, the study demonstrates how the established practice of med- ical consultation in the modern era paved the way for contemporary philosophical con- sultative practices.
Keywords: Immanuel Kant, Maria von Herbert, Consultation, Moral Physician, Ill- ness, Whole Human Being.
Marco Bresadola, Antonino Falduto, Consulto medico e consulto morale: Kant, Maria von Herbert e il male del corpo e dell’anima in "RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA" 4/2025, pp 637-651, DOI: 10.3280/SF2025-004007