8. Schelling's Philosophy in 5 Stages

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8. Schelling's Philosophy in 5 Stages

The philosophy of **F.W.J. Schelling** did not remain a fixed system but was in a constant state of flux and evolution. His intellectual development can be broadly categorized into five distinct stages:

1. Period of Subjective Idealism (Philosophy of the Ego) Influenced by Fichte, Schelling established the **"Ego"** as the absolute principle. During this stage, he explored the process by which the finite ego advances toward the infinite ego, emphasizing the dynamic activity of the subjective spirit.

2. Period of Philosophy of Nature (Naturphilosophie) Schelling began to view nature not merely as a product of the spirit, but as a living **"visible spirit"** in its own right. He argued that spirit is "invisible nature" and that nature and spirit exist within a single, organic, and fluid dynamism.

3: Philosophy of Transcendental Idealism (1800) In 1800, Schelling published his definitive work on transcendental idealism, titled *System of Transcendental Idealism* (*System des transcendentalen Idealismus*). 4. Period Identity Philosophy (1801 to 1806)** Schelling’s closest friends were Hölderlin and Hegel. In 1795, Friedrich Hölderlin published an essay titled *"Judgment and Being,"* which would later exert a decisively important influence on the development of German Idealism. 5. Period of Positive Philosophy Moving beyond "Negative Philosophy," which relies solely on conceptual reasoning, Schelling immersed himself in **"Positive Philosophy."** He sought to grasp the reality of existence through myth and revelation, exploring the mysteries of being until the very end of his life. The detailed content is included in the YOUtube video below. 

https://youtu.be/o3IMCzWqtAI