Author(s)

Jiayuan Sun ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Philosophy and Social Development, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Corresponding Author

Jiayuan Sun

ABSTRACT

With in the comprehensive framework of German Idealism, Fichte and Schelling emerge as two pivotal figures whose contributions cannot be overlooked. Fichte, inheriting and subsequently transforming the essence of Kant's thought, laid the groundwork for Schelling, who further advanced the philosophical discourse. Both are regarded as crucial links in the intellectual progression from Kant to Hegel. The inquiry into the organic connection between their philosophical ideas and Schelling's response to Fichte's thought is a subject of profound interest. Through a meticulous comparative study, utilizing primary texts and secondary literature, this essay endeavors to elucidate the nature of their philosophical relationship. It is established that Fichte's Wissenschaftslehre, or theory of knowledge, eschews Kantian dualism, positing the "absolute ego" as the supreme philosophical principle from which all else is derived. However, this system is not without its challenges, particularly those inherent to subjective idealism, such as the issues of reality and the contradiction between the self and the non-self. Schelling, while inheriting Fichte's methodological approach of deriving a system from a supreme principle, offers a more critical perspective. He contends that Fichte's "absolute ego" is not truly absolute but is instead limited; furthermore, Fichte's denial of the objective content of empirical knowledge renders his system incapable of providing an ultimate explanation of knowledge or fulfilling the dual tasks of the "absolute." Schelling proposes an alternative path, one that seeks to realize self-awareness and ascend to absolute identity through the distinct approaches of Naturphilosophie (philosophy of nature) and transcendental philosophy. In this schema, the subject and object are considered absolutely identical throughout the process. This is an achievement that Fichte's system is unable to accomplish. Finally, the essay delves into the inherent limitations present in Schelling's critique of Fichte, including the irrational chasm of "absolute identity" and the persistent challenges of reconciling contradictions.

KEYWORDS

Intellectualism; Absolute Self; Not-Self; Subject-Object; Absolute Identity

CITE THIS PAPER

Jiayuan Sun, Research on Some Criticisms of Fichte's Intellectualism Made by Schelling in Classical German Philosophy. Philosophy Journal (2024) Vol. 3: 86-90. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/phij.2024.030115.

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