Understanding German Idealism Understanding Movements in Modern Thought

The thinkers of German idealism - the philosophical movement that emerged in 1781 with the publication of Kant's monumental Critique of Pure Reason and ended fifty years later with Hegel's death - and the themes they developed revolutionized almost every area of philosophy and had an impact across the humanities and social sciences that continues to be felt today. Notoriously complex, the central texts of German idealism have confounded the most capable and patient interpreters for more than 200 years. Understanding German Idealism is an accessible introduction that conveys the significance of this philosophical movement while avoiding its obscurity. Will Dudley provides a clear account of the problems that motivated Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel and the solutions that they proposed. He outlines the main ideas of transcendental idealism and explores how the later German idealists attempted to carry out the Kantian project more rigorously than Kant himself in order to determine the meaning and sustain the possibility of a free and rational modern life.Understanding German Idealism also examines some of the most important early criticisms of German idealism and the philosophical alternatives to which they led, including romanticism, Marxism, existentialism, and naturalism.Dudley, Will is the author of 'Understanding German Idealism Understanding Movements in Modern Thought', published 2007 under ISBN 9781844650965 and ISBN 1844650960.