From Kant to Fichte1

Few periods in the history of philosophy manifest the degree of dynamism and historical complexity that characterize early post-Kantian philosophy. The reasons for this special character of so-called " classical German philosophy " are no doubt themselves quite complex. Institutional and political circumstances certainly played an important role. The end of the eighteenth century marks a point at which philosophy was seen as being deeply implicated in the political developments of the day (in particular: the upheavals in France). What's more, this intense political context for philosophy coincided with the reemergence of " academic " philosophy: the first point in the modern period when the leading figures on the philosophical scene were members of a common (and flourishing) academic community. 2 But more narrowly philosophical factors are also important. Kant's philosophical accomplishment was widely seen as marking a watershed in philosophy's development, but it was an accomplishment whose lessons and viability were highly 1 References to Fichte's works are given to the Gesamtausgabe of the Bavarian Academy. References to this edition are preceded by the abbreviation " GA " and cite three numbers (in the form: X/Y, Z) indicating series, volume and page respectively. Where possible I have provided a citation to a modern English translation as well, though I have not always followed the translator exactly. These citations follow the German citation and a semicolon and make use of the following abbreviations: EPW: Early Philosophical Writings; edited and translated by D. 2 Of particular importance in this connection was the emergence, under Goethe's administration, of the university at Jena as a leading intellectual center. Between the mid-1780s, when Kant was still in the midst of publishing his major works, and 1806, the year of both Napoleon's victory at Jena and Hegel's completion of the Phenomenology of Spirit, many of the leading figures of the early Kant-reception were associated for some period with this university. The result was what Dieter Henrich has described as a " constellation " of the leading thinkers of the era, sometimes in daily contact, actively cooperating and competing with each other in a common institutional context. " From Kant to Fichte " Martin/Essex 2 contested. Moreover, part of the legacy of Kant's project was an intertwinement of particular philosophical investigations and theories with accounts of the development of recent philosophical enquiry. The idea that philosophy must be self-conscious about its own history is one that …