207,380 profiles ranked

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling

German philosopher (1775-1854) · Germany · Academics · Died at 79

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling is read about 591 times a day, in 70 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.

Something wrong?
Compare

The German idealist who ended up a footnote in his roommate's history. Schelling bridged Fichte and Hegel in the arc of German philosophy, but Hegel's later dominance buried him - and his Naturphilosophie drew scientific scorn for preferring analogy to experiment.

AcademicsAcademicPhilosophyLiteratureEarly Modern Era

A life in dates

1854Died20 August 18541853Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and ArtAward1806“What is Europe really but a sterile trunk which owes everything to oriental grafts?”In their words18 December 1806Letter of 18 December 1806 to Windischmann, quoted by Rene Gerard, L'Orient et la pensée romantique allemande, Paris 1963,, p. 213. quoted

1804“The end of the philosophical dialogue lies in itself; it can never serve a purpose outside of itself.”In their wordsPhilosophy and Religion by Friedrich Schelling 1804 translated by Klaus Ottmann, 2010 Spring Publication, Putnam, Conn.

“There was a time when religion was kept secret from popular belief within the mystery cults like a holy fire, sharing a common sanctuary with philosophy.”In their wordsPhilosophy and Religion by Friedrich Schelling 1804 translated by Klaus Ottmann, 2010 Spring Publication, Putnam, Conn.

“Countless attempts have been made to no avail to construct a continuity from the supreme principle of the intellectual world to the finite world.”In their wordsPhilosophy and Religion by Friedrich Schelling 1804 translated by Klaus Ottmann, 2010 Spring Publication, Putnam, Conn.

“Yes! We believe in a higher principle than your virtue and the kind of morality you speak of so paltrily and without much conviction.”In their wordsPhilosophy and Religion by Friedrich Schelling 1804 translated by Klaus Ottmann, 2010 Spring Publication, Putnam, Conn.

1803“The Christian missionaries who came to India believed they were proclaiming something unheard of to the inhabitants when they taught that the God of the Christians had become man.”In their wordsDie christlichen Missionarien, die nach Indien kamen, glaubten den Bewohnern etwas Unerhörtes zu verkündigen, wenn sie lehrten, daß der

1775Born27 January 1775

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, 1848 daguerreotype - croppedFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, 1848 daguerreotype - croppedAxel Wüstehube, Das Denken aus dem Grund 1989Axel Wüstehube, Das Denken aus dem Grund 1989Bildnis des v. SchellingBildnis des v. SchellingDeutscher IdealismusDeutscher IdealismusF. W. J. von Schelling (Dumrath 19 Årh Bd 1 S 157)F. W. J. von Schelling (Dumrath 19 Årh Bd 1 S 157)Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, 1848 daguerreotype 2Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, 1848 daguerreotype 2Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, 1848 daguerreotypeFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, 1848 daguerreotypeFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph von SchellingFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling

In their own words 6

,
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
,
6 statements, newest first

  1. What is Europe really but a sterile trunk which owes everything to oriental grafts?

    Dec 18, 1806, Letter of 18 December 1806 to Windischmann, quoted by Rene Gerard, L'Orient et la pensée romantique allemande, Paris 1963,, p. 213. quoted, Own words

  2. The end of the philosophical dialogue lies in itself; it can never serve a purpose outside of itself.

    1804, Philosophy and Religion by Friedrich Schelling 1804 translated by Klaus Ottmann, 2010 Spring Publication, Putnam, Conn., Own words

  3. There was a time when religion was kept secret from popular belief within the mystery cults like a holy fire, sharing a common sanctuary with philosophy.

    1804, Philosophy and Religion by Friedrich Schelling 1804 translated by Klaus Ottmann, 2010 Spring Publication, Putnam, Conn., Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art1853
Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order

Family

Parents

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling

Partners

Children

Brothers and sisters

Is this everyone?

Only relatives with a profile here are drawn, so a family can be larger than this. A line here can also be wrong.

Correct this family

About this person

Born in January 1775, Schelling came up under Fichte's mentorship and shared early quarters with Hegel at university. He developed an evolving system that positioned him as the middle term in German idealism's progression, threading between his teacher's work and what his old friend would later build. His Naturphilosophie - a philosophy of nature leaning on analogy rather than empirical method - drew attacks from scientists and gave critics an easy target. When Hegel's mature works appeared, they relegated Schelling to a marginal role in idealism's story, and that dismissal stuck, particularly in English-language philosophy. He died in August 1854, his thought largely set aside, though some philosophers have since circled back to see what the standard account missed.

Country
Germany
Category
Academics
Type
Academic
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1775 to 1854 · aged 79

Academics from Germany 6

Heinrich Schliemann63.5Karl Weierstrass63.3Hans-Georg Gadamer64.0Meister Eckhart63.2Emmy Noether64.3Herbert Marcuse63.1

Fame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.