“Wie der blinde von der Farbe.”
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Daniel Breazeale
Abstract
In 1797, K. L. Reinhold announced, “I am a Fichtean.” It is, of course, well-known that Reinhold changed his philosophical orientation with some frequency over the course of his career, but was he ever really a sincere exponent of the Wissenschaftslehre? This paper considers in detail the textual and biographical evidence regarding Reinhold’s alleged ‘conversion’ to Fichteanism and concludes that, though he clearly conceded the main points of Fichte’s criticism of his own Elementarphilosophie and publicly endorsed Fichte’s philosophy for a brief period (1797-99), his understanding of the same was seriously flawed and never adequate. It is concluded that Reinhold was never really a ‘Fichtean’ at all.
Abstract
In 1797, K. L. Reinhold announced, “I am a Fichtean.” It is, of course, well-known that Reinhold changed his philosophical orientation with some frequency over the course of his career, but was he ever really a sincere exponent of the Wissenschaftslehre? This paper considers in detail the textual and biographical evidence regarding Reinhold’s alleged ‘conversion’ to Fichteanism and concludes that, though he clearly conceded the main points of Fichte’s criticism of his own Elementarphilosophie and publicly endorsed Fichte’s philosophy for a brief period (1797-99), his understanding of the same was seriously flawed and never adequate. It is concluded that Reinhold was never really a ‘Fichtean’ at all.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Table of Contents v
- Abbreviations vii
- Introduction 1
- “Wie der blinde von der Farbe.” 7
- „Gehe der Unbedingtheit des Ich nach…“ 49
- Reinhold’s Principle of Consciousness and Fichte’s Third Principle 93
- “There is No Will without Choice” 109
- Reinhold’s Transition to Fichte 123
- The “Weak Side of Critical Philosophy” or Why Reinhold Abandoned his Elementarphilosophie 151
- Die Freiheit des reinen Wissens 179
- Ist Reinhold je Transzendentalphilosoph gewesen? 203
- Rhythmus and Setzen 215
- Contributors 233
- Index of names 235
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Table of Contents v
- Abbreviations vii
- Introduction 1
- “Wie der blinde von der Farbe.” 7
- „Gehe der Unbedingtheit des Ich nach…“ 49
- Reinhold’s Principle of Consciousness and Fichte’s Third Principle 93
- “There is No Will without Choice” 109
- Reinhold’s Transition to Fichte 123
- The “Weak Side of Critical Philosophy” or Why Reinhold Abandoned his Elementarphilosophie 151
- Die Freiheit des reinen Wissens 179
- Ist Reinhold je Transzendentalphilosoph gewesen? 203
- Rhythmus and Setzen 215
- Contributors 233
- Index of names 235
