Fichte's Moral Philosophy

Owen Ware here develops and defends a novel interpretation of Fichte's moral philosophy as an ethics of wholeness. While virtually forgotten for most of the twentieth century Fichte's <em>System of Ethics</em> (1798) is now recognized by scholars as a masterpiece in the history of post-Kantian philosophy as well as a key text for understanding the work of later German idealist thinkers. This book provides a careful examination of the intellectual context in which Fichte's moral philosophy evolved and of the specific arguments he offers in response to Kant and his immediate successors. A distinctive feature of this study is a focus on the foundational concepts of Fichte's ethics--freedom morality feeling conscience community--and their connection to his innovative but largely misunderstood theory of drives. By way of conclusion the book shows that what appears to be two conflicting commitments in Fichte's ethics--a commitment to the feelings of one's conscience and a commitment to engage in open dialogue with others--are two aspects of his theory of moral perfection. The result is a sharp understanding of Fichte's <em>System of Ethics</em> as offering a compelling resolution to the personal and interpersonal dimensions of moral life<br>