German Idealism Paper

Answer each of the following questions, writing a minimum of 3 full pages, maximum 5 pages for each:

1. Dialectic and contradiction are central elements in the methodology of German Idealism. Explain dialectic development in general terms, using Hegel as an example and discussing the relation of reason and the understanding in his thought. Then illustrate his method by explaining the role it plays in the various historical stages he identifies in his philosophy of history.

2. Although Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel all seek a more fundamental unification of thought than that found in Kant, they each try to achieve it in a very different ways. Illustrate this difference by comparing and contrasting the starting points and initial stages of development in the thought of each of these philosophers.

Provide full citations for any quotation or paraphrase, using any standard method that provides all of the relevant information.

Number pages and staple; 12 point type; Double-spaced; 1-1.5 inch margins; Separate cover page; No extra spaces, extraneous titles or headers, or anything else intended to make the paper appear longer than it really is; Don’t email papers without prior permission.