The Self As the World Into Itself Towards Fichte's Conception

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Self As the World Into Itself Towards Fichte's Conception The Self as the World Into Itself. Towards Fichte’s Conception of Subjectivity Marina Bykova Standing historically between the two intellectual giants, Kant and Hegel, Fichte is often considered as a mere »mediator« in the dialogue of the two genii.1 Such an approach is not only mistaken, but it also essentially deval- ues the real philosophical significance of Fichte, especially in respect to his account of subject and subjectivity. In fact, Fichte’s deep revision of the Kantian concept of the subject is key to the emergence of post-Kantian German Idealism. Neither Schelling’s nor Hegel’s advancements in the the- ory of subject and subjectivity can be fully understood and appreciated without considering Fichte’s valuable additions and profound revisions of the Kantian concept of the transcendental subject. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief sketch of Fichte’s ac- count of the self and discuss it as a significant and unique contribution to the modern and 19th century theory of subjectivity that must be studied for 1 It should be noted that surely not all investigations into Fichte’s philosophy under- mine or misrepresent his role in the development of German Idealism, but the number of adequate and realistic interpretations is not very extensive. For positive examples in Anglophone literature see: Daniel Breazeale, »Check or Checkmate? On the Finitude of the Fichtean Self«, The Modern Subject: Conceptions of the Self in Classic German Philosophy, ed. Karl Ameriks and Dieter Sturma (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995), pp. 87–114; Günter Zöller, Fichte’s Transcend- ental Philosophy: The Original Duplicity of Intelligence and Will (Cambridge Uni- versity Press, 1998); Anthony J. La Vopa , Fichte: The Self and the Calling of Philo- sophy (Cambridge University Press, 2001); Frederick C. Beiser, German Idealism: The Struggle Against Subjectivism (Cambridge University Press, 2002); Jerrold Sei- gel, The Idea of the Self. Thought and Experience in Western Europe since the Seven- teenth Century. (Cambridge University Press, 2005) 132 Marina Bykova its own sake and not seen merely as the stepping stones along the path leading to absolute knowledge about subject and subjectivity. This discus- sion mainly focuses on Fichte’s early works: his Jena projects of Wissen- shaftslehre, including the 1794/95 Grundlage der gesamten Wis- senschaftslehre and Wissensftslehre novo methodo (1796/1797). The choice of works to use is not a random one. For Fichte the Jena period was a time of profound searching for the foundations and structures of his philo- sophical system. He found such a foundation in a specifically shaped concept of subjectivity. Although that concept will be further detailed by Fichte in his later writings, it is already well articulated in the Jena works. Furthermore, in the later writings, the concept itself remains essentially the same in its major ideas and facets. This is especially true of Fichte’s ac- count of the selfhood. This paper first discusses theoretical roots and an evolving process of Fichte’s conception of subject and subjectivity. Then it considers Fichte’s conception of the self how it is introduced in the Wissenschaftslehre. The final section provides a brief reflection on Fichte’s account of selfhood by placing it in the context of German idealists‹ discussions about subjectiv- ity. This investigation does not intend to reconstruct a complete picture of Fichte’s account of subjectivity. It is complex enough to defy the grasp of many scholars. Instead, this paper attempts to provide a conceptual outline of the main points of the subjectivity theory introduced by Fichte in order to leave detailed, perhaps expository, analysis for future investigations. 1. Fichte and Challenges of Philosophy of Subjectivity Fichte’s interest in subjectivity arises directly from his meditation on Rein- hold’s Philosophy of Elements (Elementar-Philosophie),2 and his occupa- tion with Schulze’s Aenesidemus.3 Despite all the differences between Rein- 2 See: Carl Leonhard Reinhold, Essay towards a New Theory of the Human Faculty of Representation. (Versuch einer neuen Theory des menschlichen Vorstellungsvermö- gens, Prague and Jena, 1789.) Parts II and III of the essay contain the only complete exposition of the Philosophy of Elements that Reinhold ever provided. 3 See: Gottlob Ernst Schulze, Aenesidemus oder über die Fundamente der von dem Herrn Prof. Reinhold in Jena gelieferten Elementar-Philosophie (1792); reprinted in.
Recommended publications
  • Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Arthur Schopenhauer
    03/05/2017 Arthur Schopenhauer (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Arthur Schopenhauer First published Mon May 12, 2003; substantive revision Sat Nov 19, 2011 Among 19th century philosophers, Arthur Schopenhauer was among the first to contend that at its core, the universe is not a rational place. Inspired by Plato and Kant, both of whom regarded the world as being more amenable to reason, Schopenhauer developed their philosophies into an instinct­recognizing and ultimately ascetic outlook, emphasizing that in the face of a world filled with endless strife, we ought to minimize our natural desires for the sake of achieving a more tranquil frame of mind and a disposition towards universal beneficence. Often considered to be a thoroughgoing pessimist, Schopenhauer in fact advocated ways — via artistic, moral and ascetic forms of awareness — to overcome a frustration­filled and fundamentally painful human condition. Since his death in 1860, his philosophy has had a special attraction for those who wonder about life's meaning, along with those engaged in music, literature, and the visual arts. 1. Life: 1788–1860 2. The Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason 3. Schopenhauer's Critique of Kant 4. The World as Will 5. Transcending the Human Conditions of Conflict 5.1 Aesthetic Perception as a Mode of Transcendence 5.2 Moral Awareness as a Mode of Transcendence 5.3 Asceticism and the Denial of the Will­to­Live 6. Schopenhauer's Later Works 7. Critical Reflections 8. Schopenhauer's Influence Bibliography Academic Tools Other Internet Resources Related Entries 1. Life: 1788–1860 Exactly a month younger than the English Romantic poet, Lord Byron (1788–1824), who was born on January 22, 1788, Arthur Schopenhauer came into the world on February 22, 1788 in Danzig [Gdansk, Poland] — a city that had a long history in international trade as a member of the Hanseatic League.
    [Show full text]
  • Plato's Conception of Time at the Foundation of Schopenhauer's
    chapter 9 Plato’s Conception of Time at the Foundation of Schopenhauer’s Philosophy Robert Wicks When commonly thinking about Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy, Plato’s influence does not immediately come to mind. Schopenhauer’s reputation as a “pessimist” is probably the first thought, and if one’s acquaintance is more than passing, his belief that a meaningless, blind “Will” is at the bottom of all things quickly follows. Perhaps next, in no particular order, are his vanguard incorpo- ration of Asian thought into Western philosophy, his bitter condemnations of G.W.F. Hegel and salaried university professors, the uncomfortable anecdote of his having angrily thrown a noisy cleaning woman down a staircase in a fit of frustration, and for those who are more well-versed, his deep and abiding influence on Richard Wagner and Friedrich Nietzsche. Concerning Plato, most scholarly discussions of Schopenhauer tend to con- centrate on the status and role of Platonic Ideas in his philosophy, usually in reference to how they inform Schopenhauer’s aesthetic theory.1 This is a fruit- ful approach, as circumscribed as it is, and we will consider Schopenhauer’s understanding of Platonic Ideas near the end of this essay. More important, however, is to situate such an inquiry within the context of the more funda- mental recognition that Schopenhauer’s initial reading of Plato, a philosopher he often called “the divine”, set the groundwork for Schopenhauer’s philosoph- ical ascension to a so-called better consciousness through art, morality and asceticism. In the absence of this wider context, it is easy to overlook how Plato’s ini- tial influence kindled the driving insight at the foundation of Schopenhauer’s philosophy—an insight more deep-seated than Schopenhauer’s famous metaphysical apprehension that the world is Will.
    [Show full text]
  • Kant's Practical Postulates and the Limits of the Critical System
    Kant’s Practical Postulates and the Limits of the Critical System Sebastian Gardner The topic that I wish to consider is the significance, both systematic and historical, for Kant’s system as a whole, of the postulates of pure practical reason, more specifically, of the two theological postulates concerning the existence of God and personal immortality which form the basis of Kant’s moral theology. My discussion will focus on the problems of Kant’s moral theology in the eyes of his early contemporaries, for whom it constituted a crux in Kant’s project. Different views were taken by Kant’s contemporaries of what exactly these problems signified regarding the future of Critical philosophy. For the thinkers I will be looking at here, the miscarriage of the moral theology constituted a fatal fault in the Kantian project. For the German Idealists, the moral theology instead provided a vital clue as to how the Kantian system could be transformed into a more radical idealism, while confirming that it needed to be. The role of the practical postulates in the development of German Idealism demands a separate treatment; what I will argue here is simply that the practical postulates do indeed represent a point at which Kant’s philosophical system displays a deep and interesting tension, in light of which both historical responses are prima facie intelligible. I. Kant on practical cognition Let me begin with some examples of Kant’s use, in connection with the moral theology and practical postulation, of the concept of practical cognition, praktische Erkenntnis. The following, key statements are taken from the second and third Critiques: [T]he concept of freedom, insofar as its reality is proved by an apodictic law of practical reason, constitutes the keystone of the whole structure of a system of pure reason, even of speculative reason; and all other concepts (those of God and immortality) ..
    [Show full text]
  • Popular Philosophy: the Cases of Karl Leonhard Reinhold and Jakob Friedrich Fries
    Popular Philosophy: The Cases of Karl Leonhard Reinhold and Jakob Friedrich Fries Abstract: The broader thesis motivating this paper is that Popularphilosophie, apparently a spent force with the waning of the Aufklärung, in fact had a large influence in shaping the nineteenth century intellectual climate. This paper concentrates, however, on K. L. Reinhold and J. F. Fries, two representatives of the tradition of Popularphilosophie who straddled the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Fries is a case in point for the broader thesis because his theory of psycho-somatic parallelism, which had a long history running well into the twentieth century, demonstrates how Popularphilosophie was finally capable, on the strength of inner resources, to absorb Kant’s Critique of Reason. Reinhold’s case is quite different. He has a place in the paper for two reasons: because he commented on Popularphilosophie both at the beginning and the very late stage of the Kant-reception, and because, in each instance, he demonstrated a curious lack of awareness both of the nature of Popularphilosophie and of the fact that he belonged to it. George di Giovanni Professor Department of Philosophy McGill University 855 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, QC H3A 2T7 Tel. 514-398-6062; Fax. 514-398-7148 http://george.digiovanni.ca [email protected] Number of characters (including the present page): 57937 0 Popular Philosophy: The Cases of Karl Leonhard Reinhold and Jakob Friedrich Fries The persistence of Popularphilosophie The immediate aim of this paper is to explore aspects of the thought of Reinhold and Fries as both instances of Popularphilosophie. The broader theme motivating this exploration is, however, Popularphilosophie itself.
    [Show full text]
  • German Idealism: Chronology {From Sebastian Gardner, with Modifications)
    German Idealism: Chronology {from Sebastian Gardner, with modifications) 1747 – Birth of Goethe. 1762 – Birth of Fichte. 1770 – Birth of Hegel in Stuttgart, into a Lutheran middle-class family. 1775 – Birth of Schelling. 1778 – Death of Rousseau. 1780 – Fichte enters Jena theological seminary. 1781 – Kant publishes Critique of Pure Reason (second edition, 1788). 1786 – Jacobi publishes Letters on Spinoza to Herrn Moses Mendelssohn, triggering a heated public debate over the relation of philosophy and religion with reference to Spinozism. – K. L. Reinhold publishes (1786-87) 'Letters' on Kantian philosophy, advertising its value to a non-specialist audience. 1787 – Jacobi publishes David Hume on Faith or Realism and Idealism, to which is appended a short essay, 'On transcendental idealism', in which Jacobi argues that Kant's transcendental idealism is incoherent. 1788 – Kant publishes Critique of Practical Reason. – Fichte accepts position as private tutor to a family in Zurich. – Hegel enters theological seminary in Tübingen; reads Rousseau, Lessing and Kant, but is drawn above all to the ancient Greeks. Close friendship with the poet Hölderlin, whose Hellenism Hegel shares. 1789 – K. L. Reinhold publishes Essay Towards a New Theory of the Human Faculty of Representation, where he attempts to reconstruct and modify Kant's system. Storming of the Bastille (July). 1790 – Kant publishes Critique of Judgement. – Reinhold publishes Letters on Kantian Philosophy, vol. 1, and Contributions to the Rectification of Misconceptions Hitherto Held by Philosophers, vol. 1. – Solomon Maimon publishes Essay in Transcendental Philosophy. – Fichte leaves Zurich for Leipzig, where begins study of Kant. – Schelling, aged 15, joins Hegel and Hölderlin at the Tübinger Stift; studies theology and attends lectures in addition on philosophy, history, and physics.
    [Show full text]
  • ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER on the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason and Other Writings
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-87271-3 - Arthur Schopenhauer: On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason: On Vision and Colours: On Will in Nature Edited by David E. Cartwright, Edward E. Erdmann and Christopher Janaway Frontmatter More information ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason and Other Writings The purpose of the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Schopenhauer is to offer translations of the best modern German editions of Schopenhauer’s work in a uniform format suitable for Schopenhauer scholars, together with philosophical introductions and full editorial apparatus. This volume of new translations unites three shorter works by Arthur Schopenhauer that expand on themes from his book The World as Will and Representation.InOn the Fourfold Root he takes the principle of sufficient reason, which states that nothing is without a reason why it is, and shows how it covers different forms of explanation or ground that previous philosophers have tended to confuse. Schopenhauer regarded this study, which he first wrote as his doctoral dissertation, as an essential preliminary to The World as Will and Representation. On Will in Nature examines contemporary scientific findings in search of corroboration of his thesis that processes in nature are all a species of striving towards ends; and On Vision and Colours defends an anti-Newtonian account of colour perception influenced by Goethe’s famous colour theory. This is the first English edition to provide extensive editorial notes on the different published versions of these works. david e. cartwright is a Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and the chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
    [Show full text]
  • 6 X 10.Long New.P65
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-82598-6 - Schopenhauer: A Biography David E. Cartwright Frontmatter More information SCHOPENHAUER: A BIOGRAPHY Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) was one of the most original and pro- vocative thinkers of the nineteenth century. He spent a lifetime striving to understand the meaning of living in a world where suffering and death are ubiquitous. In his quest to solve “the ever-disquieting riddle of existence,” Schopenhauer explored almost every dimension of human existence, develop- ing a darkly compelling worldview that found deep resonance in contemporary literature, music, philosophy, and psychology. This is the first comprehensive biography of Schopenhauer written in English. Placing him in his historical and philosophical contexts, David E. Cartwright tells the story of Schopenhauer’s life to convey the full range of his philosophy. He offers a fully documented portrait in which he explores Schopenhauer’s fractured family life, his early formative influences, his crit- ical loyalty to Kant, his personal interactions with Fichte and Goethe, his ambivalent relationship with Schelling, his contempt for Hegel, his struggle to make his philosophy known, and his reaction to his late-arriving fame. The Schopenhauer who emerges in this biography is the complex author of a philosophy that had a significant influence on figures as diverse as Samuel Beckett, Jorge Luis Borges, Emile Durkheim, Sigmund Freud, Thomas Hardy, Thomas Mann, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. David E. Cartwright is professor of philosophy and religious studies at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. He has published numerous articles on Schopenhauer and nineteenth-century German philosophy, translated and edited several of Schopenhauer’s books, and is the author of the Historical Dictionary of Schopenhauer’s Philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • Arthur Schopenhauer 1 Arthur Schopenhauer
    Arthur Schopenhauer 1 Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer Born 22 February 1788 Danzig (Gdańsk) Died 21 September 1860 (aged 72) Frankfurt Residence Germany Nationality German Era 19th century philosophy Region Western philosophy School Post-Kantian philosophy [1] German Idealism Main interests Metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, phenomenology, morality, psychology Notable ideas Will, Fourfold root of reason, philosophical pessimism Signature Arthur Schopenhauer 2 Arthur Schopenhauer (22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher best known for his book, The World as Will and Representation, in which he claimed that our world is driven by a continually dissatisfied will, continually seeking satisfaction. Influenced by Eastern thought, he maintained that the "truth was recognized by the sages of India";[2] consequently, his solutions to suffering were similar to those of Vedantic and Buddhist thinkers (i.e. asceticism); his faith in "transcendental ideality"[3] led him to accept atheism and learn from Christian philosophy.[4][5][6] At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four distinct aspects[7] of experience in the phenomenal world; consequently, he has been influential in the history of phenomenology. He has influenced a long list of thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche,[8] Richard Wagner, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Erwin Schrödinger, Albert Einstein,[9] Sigmund Schopenhauer's birthplace — house Freud, Otto Rank, Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Leo Tolstoy, Thomas in, Gdańsk (Danzig), ul. Św. Ducha Mann, and Jorge Luis Borges. (formerly Heiligegeistgasse) Life Arthur Schopenhauer was born in the city of Danzig (Gdańsk), on Heiligegeistgasse (known in the present day as Św.
    [Show full text]
  • Immanuel Kant (Born in 1724 and Died in 1804)
    What Does it Mean to Orient Oneself in Thinking? Was heißt: sich im Denken orientieren? October 1786 Königsberg in Prussia, Germany. By Immanuel Kant (Born in 1724 and died in 1804) Translation into English by Daniel Fidel Ferrer (March, 2014) What Does it Mean to Orient Oneself in Thinking? / By Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). [Was heißt: sich im Denken orientieren? English]. Translation of text, notes, essays, chronology, etc by Copyright ©2014 Daniel Fidel Ferrer. All rights reserved. Free unlimited distribution. Creative Commons General Public License "Attribution, Non-Commercial", version 3.0 (CCPL BY-NC). Table of Contents Translator’s Short Preface for Historical Context (pages 3-4). Immanuel Kant’s Text translated into English (pages 5-22). Translator’s Remarks (pages 23-24). Notes and Background for Kant’s essay and translation (page 25). Earlier translations from German into English of Kant’s essay (page 26). Pantheism Controversy (Quarrel) (Pantheismusstreit) (pages 27-28). Chronology of the Pantheism Controversy (Quarrel) (pages 29-37). Main Philosophers and authors. Ranked by birth year. Lessing first quarrel. Fragments Controversy. Pantheism Controversy or Pantheism Quarrel starts. Atheism Controversy. What is the Purpose of Kant’s Orientation Essay? (pages 38-42). Selected Bibliography related to Pantheism Controversy (pages 42-43). Related Online Resources (pages 43-44). Kant’s Note on his Overall Philosophical Position (pages 45-47). Dedication and Acknowledgements (pages 48-49). Appendix A. Image of first page of Kant Essay (1786) (pages 49-51). Keyword index (pages 51-83). Starts with a green page. 2 Translator’s Short Preface for the Historical Context By Daniel Fidel Ferrer From 1774 to about 1800, there were three intense philosophical and theological controversies underway in Germany, namely: Fragments Controversy, the Pantheism Controversy, and the Atheism Controversy.
    [Show full text]
  • Kant and the Problem of Affection
    Kant and the Problem of Affection CLAUDE PICHE, Universite de Montreal Vaihinger's Trilemma Summing up a discussion that had been going on for over a century, Hans Vaihinger in the second volume of his famous Commentar(1892) came to the conclusion that there are three, equally unsatisfactory, ways of explaining the source of affection in Kant's philosophy: 1. Either one means by the [affecting object] the thing in itself, ... 2. Or we mean by the affecting object the objects in space; ... 3. Or we admit a double affection: a transcendent one through the things in themselves, and an empirical one through the objects in space. 1 The last alternative is especially designed to obviate the difficulties inherent to the first two. But Erich Adickes, who was to become its main advocate, had to admit that the theory of double affection involves a serious problem, namely the fact that it does not find support in Kant's text.2 We will therefore leave it aside and concentrate on the first two. However, parts one and two of the trilemma also seem to lead to apparently insur­ mountable problems. In fact, Vaihinger claims that each contains an inner contradiction in that they blatantly go against Kant's own teachings. Take the first case, in which the thing in itself is said to be at the origin of the affection of the knowing subject. Kant cannot help but describe this influence of the thing in itself over sensibility in terms of causality. As Aenesidemus-Schulze quickly discovered, the category of "cause" ( Ursache) can be legitimately used only in the field of experience, so that its application to the thing in itself is clearly in contradiction with the results of the Transcendental Analytic, and in particular with the principle of the Second Analogy of Experience.3 Similar difficulties arise in the second branch of the trilemma, which stipulates that it is appearance in space that engenders the affection.
    [Show full text]
  • Fichte and Schelling: the Limitations of the Wissenschaftslehre? Sebastian Gardner
    1 Fichte and Schelling: The Limitations of the Wissenschaftslehre? Sebastian Gardner In 1800 Fichte and Schelling began a correspondence in which they frankly addressed their philosophical differences,1 each alleging irreparable defects in the other's system and misunderstandings of their own. Their closing exchange in 1802, after which all direct communication between the two men ceased and mutual criticism became a feature of their published writings, brought to an end what had been originally and officially, ever since 1794, a relationship of philosophical cooperation, a common radical progressive front in the Kantian aftermath, confronting a single set of critics. Concerning one thing at least, they remained in agreement: the doctrine which defines in bold their philosophical opposition is that of the reality of Nature, denied by Fichte and affirmed by Schelling. The disagreement is however by no means self-explanatory, for what it means to grant or deny Nature's reality is not, after Kant, a straightforward matter – Fichte is no Berkeleyan idealist and Schelling no Lockeian realist – and a lengthy route needs to be taken in order to understand how it evolved from what had been, to all appearances, a common post-Kantian starting point. The first two parts of my discussion trace accordingly the history of their philosophical relationship, with close attention to Schelling's earliest published works, often referred to as comprising the 'Fichtean' period in his development. The third reviews the systematic ground of their disagreement. I The original alignment, 1794-95 Fichte's Concerning the Concept of the Wissenschaftslehre, and Schelling's Of the Possibility of a Form of All Philosophy (Form-Schrift), both published in 1794, form a natural pair.
    [Show full text]
  • Schopenhauer‟S Psychological Worldview: History, Philosophy, and Relevance
    SCHOPENHAUER‟S PSYCHOLOGICAL WORLDVIEW: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, AND RELEVANCE PATRIC PLESA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PSYCHOLOGY YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO October 2014 © Patric Plesa, 2014 ii ABSTRACT The complete philosophical works of Arthur Schopenhauer are explored through a comprehensive psychological reading that intends to highlight the holistic theories of human nature that amount to a pessimistic and metaphysical worldview. A thorough analysis of Schopenhauer‟s philosophical concepts, theories, and ideas is conducted in order to construct a clear understanding of his worldview and avoid a reductionsitic approach to a holistic philosophy. From this I initiate a novel theoretical groundwork derived from Schopenhauer‟s philosophy that I have termed a “negative psychology”. I argue that this negative psychology provides a robust understanding of human nature and has applicability in several domains of psychology such as theory of human nature, education, and therapy. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………iii Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1 Short Biography…………………………………………………………...............3 Introduction to Schopenhauer‟s Philosophy……………………………..............6 Psychological Studies on Schopenhauer‟s Philosophy…………………..............11 Chapter 1: The World as Representation………………………………………………...18 Plato and Platonic Ideas………………………………………………….............19
    [Show full text]