Von der Macht des Gemüts

What it is

This is a German book with the title “Von der Macht des Gemüts, durch den bloßen Vorsatz seiner krankhaften Gefühle Meister zu sein,” by Immanuel Kant. The edition was edited and annotated by C. W. Hufeland and published by the Bibliographisches Institut in Leipzig and Wien. The book opens with an editor’s preface. The text available today is a digital version made by volunteer proofreaders, who kept the original spelling and punctuation. The facts do not give a date for the book.

Why it matters

The editor’s preface argues that the life of the mind should rule over the moods and urges of the body. The book is about how a person might master painful feelings through a firm decision. It shows how Kant’s ideas about the mind were used in discussions of health in his time. Hufeland, the editor, added his own notes, so the text mixes Kant’s words with another man’s commentary.

Look closer

• What does the editor’s preface claim about the relationship between mind and body?
• Which parts are Kant’s words and which are Hufeland’s notes, and how can you tell?
• What does the book leave out about medicine or treatment that a modern reader might expect?