Characteristics Lectures by Fichte
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- Clean text
- Extent:
- ~120,000 words · 575 passages
Cite this work
- APAJohann Fichte. (n.d.). Characteristics Lectures by Fichte. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/johann-fichte/characteristics-lectures-by-fichte
- MLAJohann Fichte. "Characteristics Lectures by Fichte." SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/johann-fichte/characteristics-lectures-by-fichte.
- ChicagoJohann Fichte. Characteristics Lectures by Fichte. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/johann-fichte/characteristics-lectures-by-fichte.
What it is about
The lectures Fichte gave in Berlin in the winter of 1804-05 on what moment of history we are living in: 'The Characteristics of the Present Age'.
Context and history
Fichte divides human history into five ages according to their relation to reason: reason as instinct, external authority, liberation from all authority — where he places his own time — science, and the art of living according to reason. He calls the third 'the state of completed sinfulness', and this is the core of his criticism: an age that has destroyed all authority without yet having reached any knowledge of its own, and which therefore believes nothing. These are public lectures and can be followed without having read the 'Wissenschaftslehre', which is another order of difficulty altogether. Three years later would come the 'Addresses to the German Nation', also in the corpus.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
in this Life they may order all their relations with Freedom according to Reason. This Earthly Life may be divided into Five Principal Epochs, I. Geweran Dutineation of tux Turxp AGE, . - page 15 To which of these Epochs does the Present Age belong? Fundamental principle of the Third Age :—Innate Common Sense serves it as the measure of all Reality. General description of its Secular and Religious system consequent on this principle. Its elevation of Experience as the highest criterion—its Scientific Scepticism—its Artistic, Political, Moral and Religious principles. Il]. Tue Lire accorpine to Reason, . . . » page 85 The Life according to Reason in contrast with the life of such an Age consists in this,—that the Life of the Individual should be dedicated to that of the Race, or to Ideas, An experiment on the minds of the audience,— whether they can withhold their approval, admiration and reverence from such a Life. What necessarily follows from the successful result of such a test. IV. Tue Live accorpine to Reason, : é 5 page 51 Continuation of the experiment. Description of the enjoyment of the Life in the Idea by any one who truly and in reality lives this Life. viii CONTENTS. Lecrure V, Fartaer De.ingation o¥ tur Tuirp AGE, ; page 69 In order thoroughly to understand an Age such as the present, assuming it to belong to the Third Epoch, it is necessary to begin with a study of its Scientific Condition. The Form ofthis condition. Feebleness in pursuit and communication of Knowledge. Weariness which it seeks to relieve by Wit, which is however inaccessible to it. VI. Screntiric Conprt1on oF THe Tarp AcE, q « page 85 Description of the Scientific Condition of the Third Age in its Material. Ideas of Intellectual Freedom and of Public Opinion, Superfluity of Writing and Reading. Literary Journals. Art of