This Thursday evening we are joined by UCL Philosophy's Dr Rory Phillips who will share reflections on his interest in German Idealism. Dr Phillips will share some of his work on Fichte and the freedom of the will.
German idealism is a movement in Philosophy from the late 18th and early 19th century following from the influence of Immanuel Kant's “Critique of Pure Reason” (1781). It is characterised by ideas surrounding the relationship between the mind and reality. Major figures include Hegel, Schelling and Fichte.
Johann Gottlieb Fichte was one of the earliest and most influential figures in German Idealism. For Fichte, the fundamental reality is the activity of the self, not a material world. Fichte believed that humans are free beings, and that this freedom is realized through moral action. The world exists as a kind of arena in which the self can act freely and develop morally.