The biographical approach in Karl Jaspers' work

from philosophy of life to autobiography

Olga A. Vlasova

pp. 479-492

in: Continental Philosophy Review 50 (4), 2017.

Abstract

This study considers the origins and characteristics of Karl Jaspers' biographical approach. Specifically, we analyse how this approach manifests itself in Jaspers' work, namely, in his understanding of psychology, his psychology of worldviews, his views on the history of philosophy and his philosophical method. The biographical approach was a central strategy in Jaspers' work as an appeal to life and was closely linked with how Jaspers understood both philosophy and his thought. For Jaspers, biography could restore mental unity and reveal the existence behind creativity.