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consciousness), reflective consciousness referring not to object but to itself, subjective. “To be conscious of the false as such," therefore, "is to be conscious of the subjective” (II 197).
The second half of the thesis, that consciousness of the subjective is thereby consciousness of the false, is more difficult to understand. It appears, as the author himself remarks, "paradoxical, if not obviously false” (II 197). The reader should realize, however, that Bhattacharyya means this very seriously, and should try to understand its significance.36
In the first place, "consciousness of a belief implies disbelief in its content" (II 197). Consciousness of belief, as contrasted with consciousness of its content, is not mere memory, not non-committal consciousness of the content as merely subsistent, but is consciousness of having the past belief for present rejection or reaffirmation. To reject a belief is to dissociate its content from fact. To reaffirm a belief implies consciousness that the content might not be fact and so also is to dissociate the content from fact. But "we are conscious of the dissociation of the content from fact only through positive disbelief (II 199).36 Reaffirmation is "the rejection of disbelief,” so that consciousness of a past belief as true is also consciousness of its being false. In case of doubt, there is alternation of belief and disbelief. Whenever we are explicitly conscious of a past belief, we have a disbelief in its content. Reflection is always negative.37 As he says else where, “the appearance of presentation is a disbelieved possibility of object" (II 77).
In the second place, "consciousness of the subjective is consciousness of a belief” (II 199), of a content with intentional (believing or disbelieving) reference to fact. Introspection, reflective consciousness or consciousness of the subjective, is distinguishing the subjective, that is, a mode of consciousness, from its content. What we are reflectively conscious of is the consciousness of "a content as what is or may be believed” (II 200). Since consciousness of a belief involves disbelief in its content, consciousness of the subjective is consciousness of the false (II 201). Reflective consciousness involves disbelief in the content of the corresponding unreflective consciousness. We think reflectively only in order to reject some belief.
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35 Faith seeking understanding is perhaps the best approach to this article, which is hard to understand unless its truth is presupposed.
36 This sentence, which is indeed "paradoxical, if not obviously false," seems to be the crux of the argument.
37 Even the "primal certitude" I am I really means mind is not I, a negative judgment (1 184).
