#91 - German Idealism: The Philosophies of Kant and Fichte: A Dialogue with Gabriel Gottlieb

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Gabriel Gottlieb about German idealism and the philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Johann Gottlieb Fichte. They define German idealism and where this period sits within the history of philosophy. They discuss the interaction between subject and object and how intersubjectivity plays a role. They mention the impact of Hume on German idealism and define Kant's terms of Apriori and Aposteriori. They talk about how one could understand experience from reason and why Kant was hyperfocused on the rational functions of humans. They also mention Kant's arguments for the existence of god and how German idealism evolved after Kant. 

A background of Fichte is provided and what his beliefs were about the self as activity. They discuss Fichte's moral system and how that lends towards a moral psychology. They mention Fichte's ideas about drives and how his ideas are juxtaposed with Freud's ideas concerning drives. They mention Fichte's nationalism and Fichte's complications with Judaism. They also talk about the philosophy of Schelling and the impact of German idealism on 20th Century philosophy. 

Gabriel Gottlieb is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Xavier University. His primary interests are on German idealism, specifically the philosophy of Fichte. He is the editor of Fichte's Foundations of Natural Right: A Critical Guide. You can find some of his writing here. Twitter: @xgabegottliebx

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