Published : 2025-12-29

The a Priori and a Posteriori Nature of Archetypes According to Carl G. Jung, Erich Neumann, and Ira Progoff

Abstract

The article explores the problem of the a priori and a posteriori nature of archetypes in Carl Gustav Jung’s analytical psychology, as well as in the interpretations proposed by Erich Neumann and Ira Progoff. Jung defined archetypes as psychic structures existing a priori; however, in some of his writings, references can also be found to their a posteriori character. The paper seeks to clarify this duality by indicating the connection between archetypes and the biological and cultural development of the human being. Neumann tended toward viewing archetypes as a priori structures, whereas Progoff emphasized the influence of social experience on the formation of the unconscious matrix of human experience. The issue is examined through the lens of philosophical influences on the concept of archetypes, particularly the philosophy of Kant and representatives of German mysticism, idealism, and Romanticism such as Böhme, Schelling, and von Hartmann.

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archetype, a priori, a posteriori, analytical psychology, unconscious



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Neumann, P. (2025). The a Priori and a Posteriori Nature of Archetypes According to Carl G. Jung, Erich Neumann, and Ira Progoff. Roczniki Filozoficzne, 73(4), 207–223. https://doi.org/10.18290/rf25734.11

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Roczniki Filozoficzne · ISSN 0035-7685 | eISSN 2450-002X
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