Schematism and Technology from Kant to Simondon: Towards an Experiential Schematism of the Imagination

This article explores the evolution of the concept of 'schematism' from the work of Emmanuel Kant to that of Gilbert Simondon. It focuses on how these philosophers link imagination to the understanding of images and technical objects. Kant defines schematism as the process by which the imagination connects pure concepts with sensory information obtained through experience, thereby creating a link between understanding and intuition. In contrast, Simondon reconceptualises schematism as a process central to the dynamics of invention and technological experience. He critiques the traditional notion of imagination as a mental faculty for producing internal images. Instead, he argues that imagination is primarily a mode of reception and interaction with external images, whether material or mental. According to Simondon, images and, by extension, objects possess an autonomy and dynamism, acting as mediators between humans and the world. To further explore this concept of imagination, we will demonstrate how Simondon reinterprets Kant's schematism in the context of technological invention. He thus redefines imagination as participatory and experiential engagement with material reality. His philosophy offers an original version of Kant's schematism by positioning technology as a metaphysical field of openness, through which imagination becomes the key to understanding invention as a co-creative process between humans and the dynamic world of things.