A philosophy of freedom
Fichte's philosophical achievement
pp. 286-299
in: Matthew C. Altman (ed), The Palgrave handbook of German idealism, Berlin, Springer, 2014Abstract
Fichte is the prime philosopher of freedom. On the basis of Kant's Copernican revolution in theoretical philosophy and Kant's Rousseauian turn in practical philosophy, Fichte seeks a unified account of self and world that has freedom be the condition and purpose of nature and culture alike. In particular, Fichte argues for the eminently practical character of the human mind and the status of the natural and cultural world as the arena for the exercise of human freedom. Following Kant and Rousseau (by way of Kant), Fichte conceives of freedom as self-legislation or autonomy, thereby joining self-determination and self-limitation in the free enactment of the rule of reason. This chapter outlines Fichte's achievement by pursuing the foundational and final status of freedom in his philosophy.
