Ψ-conscience, autonomy and inner view or Conscience and its shadow. Reflections on G.S. Chernavin’s book “The Semblance of Conscience”

Abstract

G.I. Chernavin’s book “The Semblance of Conscience” continues the methodology of his previous book “The Philosophy of the Troll”: a phenomenological re-description of the untrue, taking into account the point of view of the producer of the untrue. In the “Semblance of Conscience”, the epistemological perspective is replaced by an ethical one. The author considers how it is possible to distinguish between a real and a phantom (socially determined) conscience if they both present themselves to the subject. That act of presentation precedes the act of self-awareness, and therefore it is impossible to distinguish between true and false conscience by analyzing the contents of consciousness. A phenomenological analysis of the very conditions of experience presentation is required. An analysis of Chernavin’s approach shows its productivity for the philosophy and epistemology of the humanities, but its adaptation always requires some clarifications.