German Classical Philosophy

Department of Philosophy and Psychology
Lecturer: PhD, docent
Elena Shevchenko
German classical philosophy (XVII c.
– first half of XIX c.)
For all specialities
Lection’s plan
German Classical Philosophy (G.C.P.)
GCF value in the history of Philosophy
 The originality and features of GCP
 Characteristics of GCP
 Epistemology of GCP
Representatives of GCP and features of them philosophy
 The philosophy of Immanuel Kant
 Philosophy of Hegel
 Ontology and dialectics
 Stages of development of the World Spirit
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Requirements for knowledge and skills
Knowledge
 Features and novelty GCP, represented by Kant, Hegel,
Fichte, Feuerbach and others.
 Characteristics of GCP.
 The general ideological and theoretical roots of the classical
philosophers.
 Authors and terminology of GCP.
Skills
 To be able to project a philosophical outlook on the area of
the material and practical activities.
 To be able to analyze your views in the context of general
development ideas.
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Material for knowledge recovery
To prepare for the topic “German Classical Philosophy” you
must repeat the basic ontology and methodology issues:
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■
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Modern philosophy
Classical period of Antique Philosophy.
Contents
German Classical Philosophy
1. Main concepts
2. Academic material
3. Questions for self-examination
4. Recommended books
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Main concepts
German Classical Philosophy
 Absolute
 Absolute idea
 Absolute spirit
 Antithesis
 A priory
 The “thing in itself”
 Principles of dialectics
 Categorical imperative
 Objective spirit
 Subjective spirit
 Transcedental
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Academic material
German Classical Philosophy
Representatives and their role
• Kant
• Fichte
• Hegel
• Schelling
• Feuerbach
“Classical philosophy” means the highest level of its
representatives and importance of philosophical issues.
Representatives of GCP summed up the development of
philosophical thought in modern times.
Representatives of GCP did new formulation of many
philosophical issues that were not resolved by
rationalism or empirism.
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Academic material
Innovation and features of GCP
Innovation:
 The knowing that
human doesn’t live in
the natural world, but
he lives in the world of
culture.
 Rational-theoretical
understanding of the
phenomena of mind
and reality.
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Features:
 Systematic and coherent
explanation of the world,
which is based on the
natural order and harmony
of the world, open for
rational understanding.
 The natural order is due to
the interdependence of
processes.
 It means that whole history
of philosophy is an integrity.
Academic material
German classical philosophy
Characteristics of GCP
 Understanding of the special role of philosophy in the history of human
being: philosophy is “critical conscience of culture”, “the soul of culture”.
 The study of human history and human nature.
 Develop a holistic concept of dialectics.
 Philosophy as a special system of ideas.
Epistemology
•
The natural order is the goal of knowledge.
• The world is how it has created by human mind according pre-given plan
(idealism of German classical philosophy).
• Следовательно, Philosophical conclusions about the structure of the
world have the same degree of accuracy as the conclusions of geometry or
mathematics. There are, for example, mathematical science and priory
scheme of Kant or Fichte’s “intellectual intuition, etc.
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Academic material
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
Рисунок
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First Kant considered knowledge as
an activities that takes place
according its own principles.
The main books are – «Critique of
Pure Reason» (Epistemology),
«Critique of Practical Reason
(ethics), «The critique of
Judgment» (aesthetics).
Periods of art: before critical period
(1746 -1770) (cosmological
issues). Critical period (after
1770 year) (epistemology and
ethics issues).
Academic material
Hegel (1770-1831)
Рисунок
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Main books:
«Phenomenology of spirit»,
«Science logic»,
«Encyclopedia of
Philosophy».
There are three parts of
philosophical system: logic,
philosophy of nature and
philosophy of spirit. The
logic is the domain of “pure
thought” (before subject
and object).
Academic material
Ontology and dialectics of Hegel
•
•
Main idea of Hegel’s ontology –
thinking is equivalent to being
Reason is the substance
•
The basis of the world is an idealistic start “absolute
idea”, which is in the process of development and formation.
•
The development of ideas is a dialectical process,
based on the struggle of contrudictions.
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Principles and categories of
dialectics
Principles:
• The principle of transition
of quantitative change to
qualitative change.
• The principle of unity and
struggle of opposites.
• Denial principle.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Categories:
Essence
Contents
Common
Principle
Phenomenon
Form
Single
Random
Three stages of the World Spirit’s
development (Hegel)
Third stage. Synthesis. It’s being of
“Absolute spirit world”
Second stage. Antithesis. It’s being of
nature. In which the idea turns.
First stage. Thesis. It is before nature
being of “pure idea” into logical
categories and concepts.
At the third stage the World Spirit begins to
manifest itself in human society.
• 3. Being of Absolute Spirit. It is the infinite freedom,
expressed in art, religion and philosophy. Absolute Spirit
is the ultimate manifestation of the spirit. It is always
effective truth.
• 2. Being of Objective Spirit. It is common human reason
expressed in various forms of social life: family, the state,
politics, etc.
• 1. Being of Subjective Spirit. It is the logic of the
individual. Subjective Spirit is the individual mind.
Through the human conscious activity it is able to
understand the principles of the spirit. And it is able to give
higher meaning for natural and social progress.
• Art – (thesis). It is an individual project of the
Absolute idea.
• Religion – (antithesis for art). Absolute idea
disclosed to human by God in the form of
revelation.
• Philosophy – (synthesis of art and religion).
It is the knowledge of God-given and
understandable for people. Philosophy is a full
disclosure of all truth. It is higher knowledge.
Humanity and World Spirit will understand
themselves and achieved complete freedom.
Acquired knowledge
 Knowledge of German classical philosophy, represented by
Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Feuerbach and others.
 Knowledge of the common ideological and theoretical roots
of the classical philosophers.
 Knowledge the authors and terminology of GCP.
 Knowledge the main concepts and categories of GCP.
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Questions for self-examination
 Name the historical framework and the main features of the GCP.
 What the features of the Kant’s philosophy of the before critical
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and critical periods?
What are the fundamental principles of the dialectics, Hegel
formulated?
Describe the essence of Cant’s Categorical Imperative.
Which of problems have been devoted to study the Kant’s book
“Critique of practical reason”?
What is an epistemology of GCP?
What are the main principles and categories of dialectics?
What is the difference between classical philosophy and nonclassical philosophy?
Recommended books
1. Introduction in Philosophy : Textbook for higher education. –
М., 2003.
2.Philosophy: Textbook for higher education/ edited by
V.N. Lavrinenko, V.P.Ratnikov. М.,2001
3.Philosophical dictionary / edited by I.Т. Frolov. – М., 2001
4. Guliga А.V. German classical philosophy. – М., 1986.
5. Human. Thinkers of the past and present about his life,
death and non-death. XVIII century. – М., 1991.
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