Abstract

Can we prove the reality of the Absolute? If so, how is it possible to defend the individuality and freedom of human selves as genuine? This thesis explores Royce's responses to these questions by examining three pivotal texts that trace the development of his thought. ;Chapter one examines Royce's initial proof of the reality of the Absolute. He argues that a critical analysis of the possibility of error leads inevitably to an acknowledgment of the reality of the Absolute. Chapter two examines Royce's attempt to use models of recurrence and self-representation to articulate the nature of the relation between non-absolute individuals and the Absolute. Chapter three examines his attempt to refigure this relation, as well as his view of the Absolute, in terms of the idea of a universal community of interpretation. Finally, chapter four argues that Royce's response to these questions fail because at each stage in the development of his thought Royce's approach is overdetermined from a formal point of view. I argue that, in order to bring his project to a successful completion, we need to incorporate a non-formal, performative dimension into Royce's view of the human self and his view of the Absolute