Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy pp 1–3Cite as

Fichte, Johann Gottlieb

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 20 Accesses

Introduction

Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814) was a German philosopher who was made famous early by his first writing, Attempt at a Critique of All Revelation (1792), which was published anonymously and wrongly attributed to Kant, before Kant published The Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason (1793). Fichte was hired as a professor at the University of Jena in 1794, and dismissed in 1799 due to accusations of atheism against him (cf. Wood 2016b, ch 1–2). He moved to Berlin and became influential in governmental spheres. After Prussia’s defeat against Napoleon he become a major figure of the early German nationalism. He was appointed as a dean (1810) and later (1811) as the rector of the newly established Humboldt University in Berlin.

Fichte makes a sharp distinction between his scientific writings and his popular ones with respect to the method, although the latter are strongly influenced by the former.

The latter – e.g., his Contribution to the Rectification of the...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Fichte JG (1965) Grundlage der gesamten Wissenschaftslehre (1794–1795). In: Gesamtausgabe, vol I2. Frommann-Holzboog, Stuttgart Bad-Cannstatt. English edition: Fichte JG (1982) Foundations of the Entire Science of Knowledge. In Fichte JG, Science of Knowledge (trans: Heath P, Lachs J). 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Fichte JG (1966–1970) Grundlage des Naturrechts nach Prinzipien der Wissenschaftslehre (1796–1797). In: Gesamtausgabe, vol I3-4. Frommann-Holzboog, Stuttgart Bad-Cannstatt. English edition: Fichte JG (2000) Foundations of Natural Right according to the Principles of the Wissenschaftslehre (trans: Neuhouser F). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Fichte JG (1977) System der Sittenlehre nach den Prinzipien der Wissenschaftslehre (1798). In: Gesamtausgabe, vol I5. Frommann-Holzboog, Stuttgart Bad-Cannstatt. English edition: Fichte, JG (2005) The System of Ethics according to the Principles of the Wissenschaftslehre (trans: Breazeale D, Zöller G). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Fichte JG (1988) Der geschloßne Handelsstaat (1800). In: Gesamtausgabe, vol I2. Frommann-Holzboog, Stuttgart Bad-Cannstatt. English edition: The Closed Commercial State (trans: Adler AC). SUNY Press, Albany

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottlieb G (ed) (2016) Fichte’s Foundations of natural right. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • James D (2011) Fichte’s social and political philosophy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kahlo M, Wolff EA, Zaczyk R (eds) (1992) Fichtes Lehre vom Rechtsverhältnis. Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt a.M

    Google Scholar 

  • Merle JC (ed) (2016a) Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Grundlage des Naturrechts, 2nd edn. De Gruyter, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Merle JC (2016b) Fichte’s political economy and his theory of property. In: James D, Zöller G (eds) The Cambridge companion to Fichte. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 199–221

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Merle JC, Schmidt A (eds) (2015) Fichtes System der Sittenlehre. Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt a.M

    Google Scholar 

  • Rockmore T, Breazeale D (eds) (2006) Rights, bodies and recognition. New essays on Fichte’s Foundations of Natural Right. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood AW (2016a) Fichte’s philosophy of right and ethics. In: James D, Zöller G (eds) The Cambridge companion to Fichte. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 168–198

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wood AW (2016b) Fichte’s ethical thought. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philosophy, University of Vechta, Vechta, Germany

    Jean-Christophe Merle

Authors
  1. Jean-Christophe Merle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-Christophe Merle .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International & Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Mortimer Sellers

  2. Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, University of Salzburg, Austria, Salzburg, Austria

    Stephan Kirste

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Law, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Gianfrancesco Zanetti

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature B.V.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Merle, JC. (2021). Fichte, Johann Gottlieb. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_421-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_421-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-6730-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6730-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation