History placed Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814) between two giants of German philosophy – Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Georg Hegel (1770-1831) – so it was not surprising that his light may have dimmed as the 19th century developed. It didn’t help that he also was regarded as one of the proponents of German nationalism, a legacy that spilled over into the darker times of the 20th century.
However, his singular character and his role in developing, (following Kant), transcendental idealism has resulted in a re-evaluation in recent years. His views on ethics, a practical approach towards the matter of free will, and the value he placed on culture, the intellect and the self, informed his output.
The three works in this collection, Volume 1, offer a steady insight into Fichte’s thought and personality. Many of his key works emerged in the form of lectures rather than books, and as such are eminently accessible: Fichte was certainly a popular speaker. When at the University of Jena (1794-1799) he drew large audiences for the five lectures which comprise The Vocation of the Scholar (1794). The main principles of the Enlightenment are examined here, in terms of culture, education, morality. As he writes in his Preface: ‘That the Ideal cannot be manifested in the Actual world, we know as well as they do, perhaps better. All we maintain is, that the Actual must be judged by the Ideal, and modified in accordance with it by those who feel themselves capable of such a task.’
In 1799, he was dismissed from his post at Jena following accusations of atheism, and the last two works in this collection appeared while he was at the University of Berlin. The Nature of the Scholar and its Manifestations dates from 1806 and comprises 10 lectures which develop ideas initially presented in The Vocation of the Scholar. The final work here, The Vocation of Man, appeared in book form rather than as a series of lectures and is regarded as one of his most important. In it, Fichte sets out to examine ‘the true purpose of man’.
It is divided into three sections, Doubt, Knowledge, Faith. He addresses issues of free will and cause and effect, natural existence and perceived reality; and, finally, the ‘guiding’ matter of faith and God.
