Abstract

Chapter Five constitutes my interpretation of Fichte's first principles as a whole. This is presented as a revision of the first principle and summaries of the second and third. Subsequent to this, I give final consideration to what remains of Hegel's critique. ;This task completed, Chapter Six expounds Fichte's project of 'seeking out' first principles, in comparison to some classical versions of this project. In Section Two, I discuss the role of Fichte's first principles within his system as a whole. ;Chapter Four contains some general comments on the argument of the first principle of the Grundlage of 1794, including discussions of Fichte's concept of Tathandlung and his comments on Descartes. ;Chapter Two presents Fichte's preliminary notion of the Doctrine of Science, based primarily upon the Programmschrift of 1794. ;Chapter Three presents the essential difference between Fichte's first version of his first principles and that given in his "New Presentation" of 1797-98. I then attempt an explanation of Fichte's method in relation to some notions found in Kant's First Critique. ;Chapter One concerns what I consider to be the relevant points of Hegel's critique. Having done this first, Fichte's Doctrine of Science, as based on his texts of 1794, can be presented independently, but in such a way that the inadequacies of Hegel's depiction can be pared away. Chapters Two, Three, Four, and Five are concerned with this double project of expositing Fichte's original version of the Doctrine of Science and clarifying Hegel's critique. ;This dissertation comprises a critical examination of the foundations and first principles of Johann Gottlieb Fichte's "Doctrine of Science", as this is found in his early works: "On the Concept of the Doctrine of Science" and "Foundations of the Entire Doctrine of Science". Along with this, I venture to assess G. W. F. Hegel's criticisms of this aspect of Fichte's philosophy, as this critique is presented in Hegel's early work: "The Difference Between the Fichtean and Schellingian Systems of Philosophy"