Fichte's System of Ethics
A Critical Guide

These essays shed light on one of Fichte's most important works, the System of Ethics.

Stefano Bacin (Edited by), Owen Ware (Edited by)

9781108727808, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 September 2023

245 pages
27 x 18 x 1.7 cm, 0.418 kg

The System of Ethics was published at the height of Fichte's academic career and marks the culmination of his philosophical development in Jena. Much more than a treatise on ethics narrowly construed, the System of Ethics presents a unified synthesis of Fichte's core philosophical ideas, including the principle I-hood, self-activity and self-consciousness, and also contains his most detailed treatment of action and agency. This volume brings together an international group of leading scholars on Fichte, and is the first of its kind in English to offer critical and interpretive perspectives on this work, covering topics such as normativity, belief, justification, desire, duty, and the ethical life. It will be an essential guide for scholars wanting to deepen their understanding of Fichte's ethical thought, as well as for those interested in the history of ethics more broadly.

Introduction Stefano Bacin and Owen Ware
1. Fichte's Ethics as Kantian Ethics Allen W. Wood
2. Fichte on Normativity in the Late Jena Period (1796–99) Benjamin Crowe
3. Fichte on Autonomy Ulrich Schlösser
4. Feeling, Drive, and the Lower Capacity of Desire Owen Ware
5. Fichte and the Path from 'Formal' to 'Material' Freedom Daniel Breazeale
6. Fichte on the Content of Conscience Dean Moyar
7. Fichte's Theory of Moral Evil David James
8. Embodiment and Freedom – Fichte 'On the Material of the Ethical Law' Angelica Nuzzo
9. Ethics as Theory of Society: Morality and Ethical Life in Fichte's System of Ethics Luca Fonnesu
10. My Duties and the Morality of Others: Lying, Truth, and the Good Example in Fichte's Normative Perfectionism Stefano Bacin.

Subject Areas: Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD]