Week 5 – Fichte's Foundationalist Project

This week we discuss excerpts from Fichte’s “Concerning the Concept of the Wissenschaftslehre” (1794), as well the “First Introduction” to Fichte’s 1797/8 Attempt at a New Presentation of the Wissenschaftslehre. We’ll discuss, in particular, Fichte’s conception of science and his contrast between dogmatism and and idealism.

Handout

Readings

Fichte:
- Concerning the Concept of the Wissenschaftslehre (pp. 87-113)
- First Introduction (in Introductions to the Wissenschaftslehre and Other Writings, 1797-1800, ed. Breazeale, pp. 2-35)
Notes: Fichte’s System (PDF)
GRADS: (pick one)
- Beiser, “Criticism vs Dogmatism”
- Wood, “Transcendental Philosophy: The Jena Doctrine of Science”
- Bruno, “Genealogy and Jurisprudence in Fichte’s Genetic Deduction of the Categories”