Abstract

Freedom is the central theme of classical German philosophy. Kant s theory of freedom as a function of autonomy provided the first theoretical framework that expressed the political turn in self-understanding emerging from the French Revolution. For champions of philosophy who came after Kant, freedom became a fundamental element in their philosophical systems. Volume 9 of the Internationalen Jahrbuchs des Deutschen Idealismus/International Yearbook of German Idealism addresses different interpretations of the notion of freedom that were put forward in Kant s aftermath. It also demonstrates the degree to which the concept of freedom continues to be of current relevance in our times."