This multi-contributor project will re-frame and re-present classical German philosophy anew in the context of the enduring importance of Platonism. The breadth of the Platonic influence on the history of philosophy from Kant to Schelling is unparalleled, but surprisingly underrepresented. The history of modern German thinking is ubiquitously characterised by tributes, appropriations, interpretations, criticisms, and rejections of Platonic realism. During the period of classical German philosophy new philological awareness and philosophical insights made it possible for late eighteenth-century Germany to witness the re-organisation of the study of Platonism and the re-assessment of its thought. This may be found in the major developments of the period, such as in Schelling’s early philosophy of nature, Hegel’s notion of dialectic, Fichte’s theory of mind, and Romantic aesthetic religion. In cases such as these, Platonic realism constituted a core reference for epistemology, ethics, psychology, and aesthetics. Through the combined work of its contributors, this book will offer a breakthrough contribution to the study of classical German philosophy, providing a systematic treatment of the major contributors, and developments of this essentially important period in the history of modern philosophy.

 

The project is headed by Alexander J. B. Hampton (University of Toronto) and Paolo Livieri (University of Messina), and is supported by Cambridge University Press.

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Contributors 

Frederik Beiser (Syracuse)

Naomi Fisher (Loyola, Chicago)

Ginaluca Garelli (Florence)

Joshua Gentzke (Monmouth)

Alexander JB Hampton (Toronto)

Douglas Hedley (Cambridge)

Stephen Houlgate (Warwick)

Luca Illetterati (Padova)

A.F. Koch (Heidelberg)

Paolo Livieri (Messina)

Sean McGrath (Memorial)

Anne Pollok (Mainz)

Joanna Raisbeck (Verona)

Alexandra Roux (Poitiers)

Gregory Rupik (Toronto)

Allan Speight (Boston University)

Owen Ware (Toronto)

David Wood (Bonn)

Günter Zöller (Munich)             

Marie-Elise Zovko (Zagreb)