DOES THE I HAVE A HISTORY? THE PROBLEM OF CONSTITUTION OF THE PURE I

Abstract

This paper examines some issues in the constitution of the pure I and, to that extent, its historicity. At places, Husserl holds what would seem as contradicting views regarding the constituted nature of the I, describing it as both unconstituted transcendency within immanency and as continuously self-constituting. This is further complicated by the paradoxical status of the I as the identical subject of its own self-objectification, presupposing itself for its constitution. Through the concepts of I-pole, substrate of habitualities, Deckungsynthesse, character of nunc stans, and self-temporalization, I aim to investigate the constituted character of the I. In the end, I argue that these frameworks fail and that the actual, living I-subject of the immediate presence cannot be regarded as constituted or having a historical dimension.