Internal dualism

Internal dualism is a theory developed by Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling in his Freiheitsschrift, but not specifically named by him ( Friedrich Hermanni deserves the credit for introducing this enlightening term into Schelling research), according to which God's existence is based on two opposing principles must be returned. A distinction must be made between God, insofar as he exists, and God, insofar as he is the basis of his own existence. Schelling was one of the last to undertake to finally clarify the theodicy question. For human freedom is also based in the ground of God . This ground has always been withdrawn from the personal God. That is, insofar as the emergence of God and human freedom coincide, human freedom itself is unavailable to God.

In defying Kant's ' Foundation for the Metaphysics of Morals ', Schelling thereby gains a positive (= non-privative) concept of bad will. In Kant's philosophy the will is good because a person only develops a real will in submission to the moral law. If he does not act in accordance with the moral law, then the mainsprings of action can be traced back to natural laws. In a certain way, the human being is relieved in his actions. He can justify himself by referring to external causes. According to Schelling, however, there is human freedom "with a capacity for good and for evil". In other words, we are always moving within a preformed moral horizon. Any decision against the moral law - d. H. the submission of the universal will to self-will - is a reversal of the whole, i.e. H. as humans, we rebel against the determination to be good.

literature

• Thomas Buchheim: acquittal through history. Schelling's improved theodicy in dealing with Leibniz in the Freiheitsschrift. In: New journal for systematic theology and philosophy of religion. 51, 2009, doi : 10.1515 / NZST.2009.025 .