The I and the absolute: Schelling’s adaptation of Kant and Fichte from 1795 to 1800

The Place of Schelling's Early Thought in the History of PhilosophyThis thesis proposes a reevaluation of F.W.J. Schelling's 'first' philosophy (from 1795 to 1800), specifically concentrating on his so-called 'transcendental' philosophy, which is largely neglected in Anglophone scholarship.It is argued that the importance of this work lies primarily in Schelling's innovative way of thinking about the relation between an individual conscious subject (often called "the I") and the Absolute (also called "God"), which has been generally overlooked due to seeming contradictions in his thought.The thesis attempts to rectify these seeming contradictions by showing that, for Schelling, the individual conscious subject is distinct from the Absolute only to the extent that it does not manifest or realize the latter's 'entire' being, which the individual is nonetheless united with in an unconscious manner that he or she may access in an intuitive (albeit imperfect) form.This thesis is clearest in the 1795 text On the I as Principle of Philosophy, and although it faces challenges in subsequent texts, it returns to a fuller expression in the 1800 System of Transcendental Idealism.The chief innovation in the texts from 1797 to 1800 relative to this thesis is that, in this period, Schelling begins to attempt to explain why or how the differentiation between the individual and the Absolute exists, which amounts to an explanation for the world as such.Accordingly, while the texts in 1795 explain the sense in which the individual has an innate striving to revert back to the Absolute/God, the 1797-1800 texts also present a (more ontologically ambiguous) form of striving away from the Absolute/God; this duality manifests in the structure of the world as such but is only fully manifested in human self-consciousness.This 'material' thesis is accompanied and supported by a 'formal' one, i.e., one that concerns Schelling's methodology and how it relates to his philosophical sources and legacy.Namely, it is argued that Schelling's philosophy in this period can be characterized as a "transcendental metaphysics" which seeks to reconcile so-called 'pre-critical' sourcesespecially ancient Neo-Platonic and early modern rationalist ones (such as Spinoza and Leibniz) -with 'critical' ones, principally Kant and Fichte.Schelling's inheritance and adaptation of these sources is discussed at length in order to support the 'material' thesis, and the first third of the thesis (i.e., the first two chapters) are dedicated to Kant and Fichte, respectively.support, guidance, and patience of my supervisor, Professor Garth Green.After being accepted to the doctoral program in Religious Studies at McGill all the way back in 2011, I deferred my admission one year, and Professor Green eventually convinced me to enroll in the fall of 2012 (partly through securing some funding).Over the years, we have spoken for countless hours, both virtually and in person, in which he has given me extensive insight into building an academic career, including (of course) much feedback and guidance on my work.In both indirect and direct senses, Professor Green played an essential role in my acquisition of both internal and external funding; this included a fully funded, second PhD I did in Europe (2017-2021) that I would not have even known about, much less have been admitted into, were it not for him.Although I did not anticipate that I would take another four years after that PhD to finally finish this one (almost as many years as I spent at McGill prior to beginning the European PhD), it is an immense joy to be bringing this extremely long journey to an end; indeed, it is surreal.I would also like to thank my 'Großdoktorvater' -that is, Professor Green's own Doktorvater -Ray Hart.Thanks to his referral of Professor Green to me, I may not have ended up at McGill…and if it were not for him, Professor Green may not have ended up there, either.Naturally, I must also thank my co-supervisor, Professor Kirby, who was the main reason that I applied to McGill in the first place.Although ancient/Medieval Neo-Platonism shifted from my primary research focus to a secondary one during the course of my first years at McGill, my continual references to this tradition throughout this thesis show how much it has shaped and continues to shape my thinking; the connections I have seen/made between it and Schelling's early philosophy is one of the main reasons I became interested in Schelling in the first place.I am also very grateful to my internal and external examiners: Professors McGrath (McGill/Memorial), di Giovanni (McGill), and Schwab (Freiburg).As my citations to their work in this study show, each of these scholars has influenced my work; I respect them a great dealand am honored that they have accepted this request, which is of the greatest importance for me.Finally, although I have already thanked them in the acknowledgments of another doctoral dissertation, I must again thank my parents, who have supported me along this unusual path -both 'practically' and spiritually -so much that it defies my comprehension

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