Vom Ich als Prinzip der Philosophie

The work Vom Ich als Prinzip der Philosophie (Of the Ego as Principle of Philosophy) by Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, published in 1795, explores the concept of the Absolute Ego as the fundamental principle of philosophy. Schelling posits that each individual is the Absolute Ego, which is eternal and timeless, apprehended through intellectual intuition rather than sensory perception. This work, along with On the Possibility and Form of Philosophy in General, establishes the Absolute as a central theme in Schelling's early philosophy.1

Schelling's philosophy, particularly his early work, is a significant part of German idealism. He was influenced by philosophers like Immanuel Kant and Johann Fichte, as well as the pantheism of Benedict de Spinoza. His ideas later developed to include a philosophy of nature, where he sought to demonstrate nature's active development toward spirit, a concept that distinguished him from Fichte's focus on the ego.1