The Unity of Subject and Object in Schelling's Philosophy: Toward a System of Absolute Identity

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Autor principal: Sonuyi, Muyiwa
Formato: Recurso digital
Lenguaje:inglés
Publicado: Zenodo 2026
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author Sonuyi, Muyiwa
author_facet Sonuyi, Muyiwa
contents <p>This paper examines the problem of the unity of subject and object within the framework of German Idealism, with particular focus on Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling’s doctrine of Absolute Identity. Arising from the post-Kantian effort to overcome the dualism between subject and object, German Idealism seeks a systematic account of reality in which neither term is privileged at the expense of the other. Schelling’s philosophy represents a decisive attempt to resolve this tension by positing an Absolute in which subject and object are conceived as identical.</p> <p>The paper traces the historical and conceptual development of this problem from Kant through Fichte to Schelling, highlighting Schelling’s rejection of both subjective and objective idealism. While Schelling’s system succeeds in avoiding the reduction of reality to either consciousness or nature alone, the paper argues that the doctrine of Absolute Identity introduces a further philosophical difficulty. By dissolving difference within an all-encompassing Absolute, Schelling’s account risks undermining individuality, human freedom, and concrete agency.</p> <p>Drawing on critical perspectives from thinkers such as Jacobi, Groves, and Deleuze, the paper evaluates the implications of Absolute Identity for metaphysics and freedom. It concludes that although Schelling’s philosophy offers an important contribution to the Idealist project of unifying subject and object, it does so at the cost of obscuring the reality of difference that is essential to human selfhood and moral responsibility.</p>
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spellingShingle The Unity of Subject and Object in Schelling's Philosophy: Toward a System of Absolute Identity
Sonuyi, Muyiwa
Absolute Identity
Schelling
German Idealism
Subject–Object
Metaphysics
<p>This paper examines the problem of the unity of subject and object within the framework of German Idealism, with particular focus on Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling’s doctrine of Absolute Identity. Arising from the post-Kantian effort to overcome the dualism between subject and object, German Idealism seeks a systematic account of reality in which neither term is privileged at the expense of the other. Schelling’s philosophy represents a decisive attempt to resolve this tension by positing an Absolute in which subject and object are conceived as identical.</p> <p>The paper traces the historical and conceptual development of this problem from Kant through Fichte to Schelling, highlighting Schelling’s rejection of both subjective and objective idealism. While Schelling’s system succeeds in avoiding the reduction of reality to either consciousness or nature alone, the paper argues that the doctrine of Absolute Identity introduces a further philosophical difficulty. By dissolving difference within an all-encompassing Absolute, Schelling’s account risks undermining individuality, human freedom, and concrete agency.</p> <p>Drawing on critical perspectives from thinkers such as Jacobi, Groves, and Deleuze, the paper evaluates the implications of Absolute Identity for metaphysics and freedom. It concludes that although Schelling’s philosophy offers an important contribution to the Idealist project of unifying subject and object, it does so at the cost of obscuring the reality of difference that is essential to human selfhood and moral responsibility.</p>
title The Unity of Subject and Object in Schelling's Philosophy: Toward a System of Absolute Identity
topic Absolute Identity
Schelling
German Idealism
Subject–Object
Metaphysics
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18377986