The rise of modern philosophy a new history of western philosophy volume 3 (new history of western philosophy) ( PDFDrive ) (1) 125

including phenomenal individuals’ Sa¨mmtliche Werke, ed.. This sounds rather like God, and in his later, popular works Fichte went so far as to say: ‘It is not the Wnite self that exists

including phenomenal individuals’ (Sa¨mmtliche Werke, ed I H Fichte (Berlin, 1845–6), II 607)

This sounds rather like God, and in his later, popular works Fichte went

so far as to say: ‘It is not the Wnite self that exists, it is the divine Idea that

is the foundation of all philosophy; everything that man does of him-self is null and void All existence is living and active in ithim-self, and there is

no other life than Being, and no other Being than God.’ But elsewhere he said that it was superstitious to believe in any divine being that was anything more than a moral order Clearly, he was more of a pantheist than a theist

Fichte’s philosophy of religion resembles that of Spinoza, as was pointed out by the most devoted of his disciples, F W J Schelling, who had become

Fichte’s relaxed lecturing style

marks a contrast with the

dense nature of his prose

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