reversing theory & praxis

Olivier at the Sorbonne just sent the following nice passage:

“In speculation, the subject is subordinated to the object, the I lets itself be determined by the non-I in order to represent it, the world is reflected in the spirit; while in action it is the spirit that imprints its mark on the world, the I that bends the world to its needs, the subject that commands the object. Hence there is nothing more valid than to recognize an idealist attitude in the practical attitude, and a realist attitude in the speculative attitude.”

– R. Blanché, Les Attitudes Idéalistes, Presses Universitaires de France, 1949, p.104.