Written for a general audience during a period of intense controversy in the German philosophical community, J. G. Fichte's short book The Vocation of Man (1800) is both an introduction to and a defense of his philosophical system, and is one of the best-known contributions to German Idealism. This collection of new essays reflects a wide and instructive variety of philosophical and hermeneutic approaches, which combine to cast new light upon Fichte's familiar text. The contributors highlight some of the overlooked complexities and implications of The Vocation of Man and situate it firmly within the intellectual context within which it was originally written, relating it to the positions of Kant, Hegel, Schelling, Schlegel, Jacobi, and others. In addition, the essays relate the text to issues of contemporary concern such as the limits of language, the character of rational agency, the problem of evil, the relation of theoretical knowledge to practical belief, and the dialectic of judgment.

The Vocation of Man by Johann Fichte Gottlieb, first published in 1910, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.

Contents: Translator's Introduction Selected Bibliography Note on the Text The Vocation of Man Preface Book One: Doubt Book Two: Knowledge Book Three: Faith

Excerpt from The Vocation of Man "Whatever is great and good in our own age is wholly due to this, that noble and strong men in the past have for the sake of ideas made sacrifice of all the enjoyments of life." This statement of Fichte's is indicative at once of the spirit that pervaded his philosophy and of the principles that governed his life. For him "the idea" was supreme, and the philosopher's life and work the noblest of all careers; but that life and that work had true significance and value only because they led humanity to ever loftier and purer heights. Like Carlyle, who learned so much from him, Fichte perhaps overestimated the part played by the moral hero in the spiritual evolution of the race, and we must admit that his own character was not free from the combativeness and obstinacy which so often accompany great intensity of conviction, yet both in his doctrine and his life his individualism retained always its uplifting and regenerating power. If his opinions were held stubbornly and sometimes promulgated dogmatically, they were ever warmed and illuminated by an ardent moral enthusiasm. Few are the earnest students of speculative thought who after a thorough study of his works will give their unqualified assent to his system as a whole, but perhaps fewer still will fail to glean something of value for thinking and living from the harvest of his philosophy. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Its inhabitants are a frugal H and industrious people, and preserve, even to the present day, the simple and unaffected manners of their forefathers. Amid this community, withdrawn alike from the refinements and the corruptions of more polished society, the descendents of the Swedish soldier bore an honourable reputation for those manly virtues of our nature which find in poverty a rugged but congenial soil. Firmness of purpose, sterling honesty in their dealings, and immovable uprightness of conduct, became t, heir family characteristics. From this wortlly stock the subject of our memoir took his descent. The grandfather of the philosopher, who alone out of a numerous family remained resident in his native place, inherited from his predecessor, along with the little patrimonial property, a small trade in ribbons, the product of his own loom, which he disposed of to the inhabitants of the village and its vicinity. Desirous that his eldest son, Christian Fichte, should extend this business beyond the limited sphere in which he practised it himself, he sent him as apprentice to Johann Schurich, a manufacturer of linen and ribbons in the neighbouring town of Pulsnitz, in order that he might there learn his trade more perfectly than he could do at home. The son conducted himself well during his apprenticeship, rose high in the esteem of his master, and was at last received into the house as an inmate. He there succeeded in gaining the affections of Schurichs daughter. This attachment was for some time kept secret, in deference to the pride of the maidens father but his prejudices having been overcome, young Fichte brought home his bride to his native village, and with her do vryh e built a louse there, in which some of his descendents still follow the paternal occupation. wa s their first child, and was born on the 19th May 1762. At his baptism, an aged relative of the mother, who had come from n distance to be present at the ceremony, and who was revered by all men for his wisdom and piety, foretold the future - eminence of the child and as death soon afterwards set his seal upon the HIS EARLY EDUCATION...

This Handbook provides a comprehensive single-volume treatment of Fichte’s philosophy. In addition to offering new researchers an authoritative introduction and orientation to Fichtean thought, the volume also surveys the main scholarly and philosophical controversies regarding Fichtean interpretation, and defends a range of philosophical theses in a way that advances the scholarly discussion. Fichte is the first major philosopher in the post-Kantian tradition and the first of the great German Idealists, but he was no mere epigone of Kant or precursor to Hegel. His work speaks powerfully and originally to a wide range of issues of enduring concern, and his many innovations importantly anticipate major developments, including absolute idealism, phenomenology, and existentialism. He is therefore not only a path-breaking thinker but also a pivotal figure in Western intellectual history. Wide-ranging, well-organised and timely, this key volume makes Fichte’s work both accessible and relevant. It is essential reading for scholars, graduate researchers and advanced students interested in Fichte, German Idealism, and the history of nineteenth-century philosophy in the West.

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