Schelling's philosophy is brief

The philosophy of Schelling, who developed and at the same time criticized the ideas of his predecessor Fichte, is a complete system consisting of three parts - the theoretical, practical and substantiation of theology and art. In the first of these, the thinker examines the problem of how to remove an object from the subject. In the second - the ratio of freedom and necessity, conscious and unconscious activity. And, finally, in the third - he regards art as a weapon and the completion of any philosophical system. Therefore, we here consider the main provisions of his theory and the periods of development and folding of the main ideas. The philosophy of Fichte and Schelling was of great importance for the formation of Romanticism, the national German spirit, and subsequently played a huge role in the emergence of existentialism.

The beginning of the way

The future brilliant representative of the classical thought of Germany was born in 1774 in the family of a pastor. He graduated from the University of Jena. The French Revolution greatly rejoiced the future philosopher, because he saw in it the movement of social progress and the liberation of man. But, of course, interest in modern politics was not the main thing in life, which led Schelling. Philosophy became his leading passion. He was interested in the contradiction in the theory of knowledge of modern science, namely, the difference in Kant's theories, which stressed the subjectivity, and Newton, who saw the object as the main scientific research. Schelling begins to seek the unity of the world. This desire is a red thread through all the philosophical systems that he created.

The first period

The development and folding of the Schelling system is divided into several stages. The first of them is devoted to natural philosophy. The world view that dominated the German thinker during this period, he set out in the book "Ideas of the philosophy of nature." There he summed up the discoveries of contemporary natural history. In the same work he criticized Fichte. Nature is not at all a material for the realization of such a phenomenon as "I". It is an independent, unaware whole, and develops on the principle of teleology. That is, it carries in itself the germ of this "I", which "sprouts" from it, like an ear from grain. During this period, Schelling's philosophy began to include some dialectical principles. Between the opposites ("polaries") there are certain steps, and the differences between them can be smoothed out. As an example, Schelling cited species of plants and animals that can be attributed to both groups. Every movement comes from contradictions, but at the same time it is the development of the world Soul.

The philosophy of transcendental idealism

The study of nature pushed Schelling to even more radical ideas. He wrote a work called "The System of Transcendental Idealism", where he again returns to rethinking Fichte's idea of nature and "I". Which of these phenomena should be considered primary? If we proceed from natural philosophy, then such is nature. If you take the position of subjectivism, then the "I" should be considered primary. Here, Schelling's philosophy acquires a special character. After all, in essence, what is nature? We call it the environment around us. That is, "I" creates itself, feelings, ideas, thinking. A whole world apart from itself. "I" creates art and science. Therefore, logical thinking is inferior. It is a product of the mind, but in nature we see traces of the rational. The main thing in us is will. It forces both mind and nature to develop. The highest in the activity of "I" is the principle of intellectual intuition.

Overcoming the contradiction between the subject and the object

But all the above positions did not satisfy the thinker, and he continued to develop his ideas. The next stage of his scientific work is characterized by the work "Exposition of my system of philosophy." It has already been said that the parallellism existing in the theory of knowledge ("subject-object") was what Schelling opposed. The philosophy of art was for him a model for imitation. And the existing theory of knowledge did not correspond to him. How are things going in reality? The aim of art is not the ideal, but the identity of the subject and object. So it should be in philosophy. On this basis, he builds his own idea of unity.

Schelling: the philosophy of identity

What are the problems of modern thinking? The fact that mostly we are dealing with the philosophy of the object. In its coordinate system, as Aristotle pointed out, "A = A". But in the subject's philosophy everything is different. Here A can be equal to B, and vice versa. It all depends on what the components are. To combine all these systems, you need to find a point where all this is the same. The philosophy of Schelling sees the Absolute Reason as such a starting point. He is the identity of spirit and nature. It is a kind of point of indifference (in it all polarities coincide). Philosophy should be a kind of "organon" - an instrument of the Absolute Reason. The latter is a Nothing that has the potential to become something, and, pouring out and creating, is crushed into the Universe. Therefore, nature is logical, has a soul, and in general, is a fossilized thinking.

In the last period of his work, Schelling began to investigate the phenomenon of Absolute Nothing. It, in his opinion, was originally a unity of spirit and nature. This new Schelling philosophy can be briefly described as follows. In Nothingness there must be two principles - God and the abyss. Schelling calls it Eckhart's term Ungrunt. The abyss has an irrational will, and it leads to the act of "falling out", dividing the beginnings, realizing the universe. Then nature, developing and releasing its potencies, creates the mind. His apogee is philosophical thinking and art. And they can help a person to return to God.

Philosophy of Revelation

This is another problem that Schelling posed. German philosophy, however, like every dominant system of thinking in Europe, is an example of a "negative outlook." Guided by it, science examines the facts, and they are dead. But there is also a positive worldview - the philosophy of revelation, which can understand what the self-consciousness of Reason is. When she reaches the end, she will comprehend the truth. It is the self-consciousness of God. And how can this Absolute be embraced by philosophy? God, Schelling believes, is infinite, and at the same time it can become limited, being in human form. This was Christ. Having come to such views at the end of life, the thinker began to criticize ideas about the Bible, which he shared in his youth.

Schelling's philosophy is brief

Having expounded, therefore, the periods in the development of the ideas of this German thinker, the following conclusions can be drawn. Schelling considered contemplation as the main method of cognition and actually ignored reason. He criticized thinking based on empiricism. The classical German philosophy of Schelling believed that the main result of experienced cognition is the law. And the corresponding theoretical thinking derives the principles. Natural philosophy is above empirical knowledge. It exists before any theoretical thinking. Its main principle is the unity of being and spirit. Matter is nothing but the result of the actions of the Absolute Reason. Therefore, nature is in balance. Her knowledge is the fact of the existence of the world, and Schelling raised the question of how her comprehension became possible.