System of transcendental idealism

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The system of transcendental idealism is a work by the philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775-1854) published in Tübingen in 1800 . It is a key work of German idealism and concludes Schelling's first philosophical phase. The natural philosophy is contrasted with the transcendental philosophy in order to complete the approach of a "real idealism".

In his book, Schelling initially starts from a theoretical consideration of human consciousness, then draws conclusions for human life practice (ethics, history) from this, in order to finally formulate a philosophy of art.

With his system of transcendental idealism, Schelling would like to lead the reader to become aware of his own way of knowing. The aim is that the naive ego (the reader) becomes aware that what we call an object is made an object by ourselves. Thus, according to Schelling, our world is a construction of our own self. He wants to clear up the original misconception, according to which the naive consciousness assumes that a world of things outside of us exists independently of us. Like the other idealists, Schelling is of the opinion that the world we experience only exists in our consciousness.

See also: On Schelling's philosophy

content

Schelling writes his system as a guide to the implementation of the transcendental philosophy by explaining the individual epochs of awareness in order to see through the mechanism. Thus Schelling's transcendental philosophy has the original emergence of consciousness as its object. It is the free repetition of the original series of actions in which the ego comes to itself.

structure

Schelling divides his work into main sections, epochs and tasks along with preliminary memories, general comments, additions, subsequent sentences and resolutions. The structure shown here dispenses with many sub-items for the sake of clarity.

introduction
I. First main section. On the principle of transcendental idealism
II Second main section. General deduction of transcendental idealism - pre-memory
III Third main section. System of theoretical philosophy based on the principles of transcendental idealism
First epoch. From the original sensation to the productive perception
a) Task of explaining how the ego comes to see itself as limited
b) Task of explaining how the ego sees itself as feeling
c) Theory of Productive Intuition
Second epoch. From productive intuition to reflection
d) Task to explain how the I get there. Seeing yourself as productive
Third epoch. From reflection to the absolute act of will
IV Fourth main section. System of practical philosophy based on the principles of transcendental idealism
e) Task: to explain how the will becomes objective again for the I
f) Task: to explain how the ego can become conscious of the original harmony between the subjective and the objective
V Fifth main section. Principles of teleology according to the principles of transcendental idealism
VI Sixth main section. Deduction of the general organ of philosophy,
or: main principles of the philosophy of art according to the principles of transcendental idealism
Structure of the system of transcendental idealism

The central areas of the work are above all the introduction, which, in contrast to the rest of the work, is characterized by stringency, as well as the third main section, which forms the actual execution of the basic structure outlined in the introduction. The short fifth main section on teleology and the sixth on art have also received a lot of attention.

construction

Schelling begins his work with an introduction divided into paragraphs, which, as a short summary, forms the intellectual foundation of the work. The rest of the work can be viewed as an execution and justification for the assumptions made in the introduction.

Schelling builds his system on as a history of development "which the object of philosophy goes through in order to produce the whole building of self-consciousness" and divides it into three epochs in the third main section ("3rd main section. System of theoretical philosophy according to the principles of transcendental idealism"):

In the first epoch ("From the original sensation to the productive self-perception") Schelling explains how an "inner world" is created in the first place. For this he divides the ego into two activities, a productive (real) activity which primarily produces all impressions and is itself the object of an observing (ideal) activity. When the ideal activity looks at the real activity, it is limited. This is in the act itself, since in the act of looking only objects can be looked at. For the sake of its existence, however, an object must be delimited from others in order to be viewed as an independent object. This demarcation is taken over by the ideal activity as a viewer, which is nevertheless a limiting activity and limits the real activity. Thus a distinction is made in the ego between what is felt and what is felt. The ego notices that what it feels is limited, but does not notice that it itself implements this limitation. In this way, feeling (suffering) appears to be external and thus as an object, as a thing in itself. At the end of the epoch it was shown that there are two activities in the self. One activity perceives reality, i.e. produces, but is limited in this production (objective activity). The other limits and perceives the production of the first as a posited reality (subjective activity).

In the second epoch ("From productive intuition to reflection") the ego rises above the bounded and bounding activity and determines the bounded activity as the inner sense and the limiting activity as the outer sense. This leads to a distinction between extensiveness (space) and intensity (time). Both form a dialectical unit, each cannot be imagined without the other. In the second epoch the ego gains consciousness, however not yet about itself, but only about the objects themselves. The ego is also not yet able to reflect on the consciously perceived objects itself, that is, to link them to one another to form new terms.

The third epoch (“From reflection to the absolute act of will”) leads to reflection on the absolute self. The ego understands itself in its freedom: "The intelligence rises through an absolute action above everything objective". However, the reflection initially only takes place on the objective. The ego itself does not yet know that the objective world is only the self-limitation of the ego projected into the outside. Reflecting includes the independent connection of concepts, but not yet self-knowledge, i.e. H. the understanding of the self as positing of the objective world.

The teleology (fifth major section. Laws of teleology according to the principles of transcendental idealism) now forms the reflected meeting of the two activities in self-confidence. In Schelling's words: "But if all conscious activity is expedient, then that meeting of conscious and unconscious activity can only be demonstrated in such a point." In reflecting on teleology, the ego recognizes that there are two activities in it: one an objective, which depicts nature and a subjective, which interprets nature and examines it for a purpose. Nature as an object must appear as mechanical without a purpose, since the objective has no meaning or meaning. The subjective activity in the ego can only see meaning. Therefore, as Schelling puts it, “nature will have to appear as a consciously produced work and yet at the same time as the product of the most blind mechanism; it is appropriate without being appropriately explainable. "

Teleology is the last step in Schelling's “History of Self-Consciousness” before self-consciousness can fully recognize itself in art (6th main section. Deduction of a general organ of philosophy, or main tenets of the philosophy of art according to the principles of transcendental idealism). In teleology, the ego already becomes aware that there is a producing and an observing part in the ego, but the unity of the two parts only becomes tangible for the ego in the work of art. In art, the ego no longer perceives the objects, but only the meaning. The point of the art object, however, is the reflection of one's own self-confidence. It has no further meaning than that of the viewer looking at himself. In this way the ego does not come to an end in the interpretation of the work of art, which Schelling expresses with “infinity” or inexhaustibility in contrast to the consideration of the artifact. So "here in the work of art the ego becomes perceptible for itself as conscious and unconscious self". The ego becomes aware of the absolute unity of subject and object in the object. Because art is about the same thing as transcendental philosophy, about “setting up a world”. And since one becomes aware of this process when looking at the work of art, this is also the consideration of the construction of one's own self.

expenditure

In Schelling studies, quotations are generally made from the Complete Works (SW) and less from the page number of the original edition (OA). The page number according to more recent editions is completely unusual.

  • Schelling's Complete Works (SW): Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph, “System des transzendentalen Idealismus”, in Ders., Selected writings in six volumes, Vol. I, Frankfurt am Main 1985, pp. 395–702.
  • FWJ Schelling: System des transcendental idealism , ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000 (with the pagination of the original edition).

Secondary literature

  • Manfred Frank : An Introduction to Schelling's Philosophy , Frankfurt 1985.
  • Walter Schulz : Introduction to Schelling's system of transcendental idealism , in: FWJ Schelling: System of transcendental idealism, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Schulz, Walter, Introduction to Schelling's System of Transcendental Idealism. In: Schelling, FWJ, System des transcendental Idealism, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, XXXIII.
  2. ↑ Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, quoted from Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, pagination based on the original edition from 1800 (OA) Schelling: System des transzendentalen Idealismus, p. 480.
  3. ↑ Schulz, Walter, Introduction to Schelling's System of Transcendental Idealism. In: Schelling, FWJ, System des transcendental Idealism, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, XXXV.
  4. ↑ Schulz, Walter, Introduction to Schelling's System of Transcendental Idealism. In: Schelling, FWJ, System des transcendental Idealism, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, XXXV.
  5. ↑ Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, quoted from Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, pagination based on the original edition from 1800 (OA) Schelling: System des transzendentalen Idealismus, p. 310
  6. ↑ Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, quoted from Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, pagination based on the original edition from 1800 (OA) Schelling: System des transzendentalen Idealismus, p. 444
  7. ↑ Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, quoted from Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, pagination based on the original edition from 1800 (OA). Schelling: System des transzendentalen Idealismus, pp. 17-18.
  8. ↑ Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, quoted from Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, pagination based on the original edition from 1800 (OA) Schelling: System des transzendentalen Idealismus, p. 485.
  9. ↑ Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, quoted from Schelling, FWJ, System des transzendentalen Idealismus, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, pagination based on the original edition from 1800 (OA) Schelling: System des transzendentalen Idealismus, p. 463.
  10. ↑ Schulz, Walter, Introduction to Schelling's System of Transcendental Idealism. In: Schelling, FWJ, System des transcendental Idealism, ed. v. Horst D. Brandt and Peter Müller, Hamburg, 2000, XLIII.