Schelling's Mystical Platonism
September 23, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197752883.001.0001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Schelling's philosophy from 1792 to 1802 is a coherent "mystical Platonism" guided by two commitments: mysticism about the ineffable absolute and priority monism, in which finite things are grounded in the absolute yet possess their own integral unity. Contends these commitments, inspired by Plato and Neoplatonism, fulfill post-Kantian philosophy's aims and challenge readings that see Schelling's basic commitments shifting frequently in this period. |
Abstract
Abstract In this book, Naomi Fisher provides a cohesive interpretation of Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling’s philosophical work from 1792 to 1802 as a mystical Platonism. According to this interpretation, Schelling is guided by two overarching commitments during this time. First, Schelling is committed to mysticism regarding the absolute. That is, the absolute is ineffable; it cannot be described in conceptual terms. For this reason, it remains inferentially external to any given philosophical system. Second, Schelling is committed to a priority monism: All things are grounded in the absolute, but finite things possess an integral unity of their own, and so have a distinct and relatively independent existence. This book shows how these two commitments cohere in a project that fulfills the distinctive aims of post-Kantian philosophy, and it traces their inspiration to Schelling’s early engagement with Plato’s dialogues and to his education, which was Neoplatonic in orientation. In presenting Schelling’s philosophy of this decade as guided by these two fundamental commitments, this book poses a challenge to those readings of Schelling’s philosophy according to which it shifts frequently in its basic commitments during this time. According to the interpretation presented in this book, Schelling’s appropriations of various strands of Platonism distinguish him from his contemporaries and give rise to his idiosyncratic approach to the projects of post-Kantian philosophy.