German Idealist Philosophy

The great quest for systematic knowledge in the decades around the year 1800 gave rise to one of the most spirited eras in the history of philosophical exploration, exemplified by the school of German Idealist philosophy. With confidence and sweeping aspirations, the Idealist philosophers Immanuel Kant, Johann Fichte, Friedrich Schelling, and Georg Hegel set out to make metaphysics a science, to explore the nature of the self and man's role in society, to examine the essence of the natural world, and to develop a vision of world history and the progressive consciousness of man. In this masterful introduction to German Idealism, Rudiger Bubner brings together key texts and lesser known extracts from the works of these four powerful intellects, together with insightful overviews of each philosopher and an account of the movement as a whole.

Kant set the agenda for the age by trying to establish philosophical reasoning on foundations as firm as science and mathematics. Fichte considered the nature of the self, the value of education and man's role in society, while Schelling adopted a similar approach to the natural world. Hegel produced an immensely ambitious synthesis, and an inspiring vision of world history as the progressive consciousness of freedom. Rudiger Bubner's anthology of key texts and lesser known extracts, along with helpful overviews of each philosopher and an account of the movement as a whole, makes the perfect introduction to Idealist philosophy.

Rudiger Bubner is currently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Heidelberg and a member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences.