The Development of the Finite: From the Absolute to the Ungrund in Schelling’s Identitätsphilosophie and Freiheitsphilosophie (original) (raw)

Abstract

This thesis explores Schelling’s shift from his Identitätsphilosophie to his Freiheitsphilosophie, focusing on how he wrestles with reconciling the finite to the absolute. Darstellung meines Systems, often regarded as the seminal text of the Identitätsphilosophie, emphasizes the dominance of the absolute and dismisses the significance of the finite. However, in his later works, such as Philosophie und Religion and the Freiheitschrift, Schelling develops a more complex understanding of the finite as potentially independent of the absolute. This thesis argues that Schelling’s shift in thinking is marked by a stronger recognition of the independence and creativity of the finite, a new understanding of evil, the Ungrund as a primordial principle, and the unfolding of reason and non-reason in the fall and the possibility of reconciliation to indifference. The thesis also addresses the challenge of reconciling the changes in Schelling’s thought with his self-proclaimed status as a systematic thinker, and argues that Schelling’s later works demonstrate a recognition of the complexity of finite life and a departure from the possibility of comprehending the total order of the universe.

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