The Closed Commercial State

By J. G. Fichte
Translated by Anthony Curtis Adler
Notes by Anthony Curtis Adler

Subjects: German Idealism, Philosophy, History Of Philosophy
Series: SUNY series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy
Paperback : 9781438440200, 259 pages, January 2013
Hardcover : 9781438440217, 259 pages, June 2012

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Table of contents

Acknowledgments
Abbreviations and Editorial Apparatus
Translator’s Introduction
Interpretive Essay: Fichte’s Monetary History
Johan Gottlieb Fichte’s Table of Contents
Translator’s Notes
German-English Glossary
Index

Critical scholarly edition of J. G. Fichte's Closed Commercial State

Description

Appearing for the first time in a complete English translation, The Closed Commercial State represents the most sustained attempt of J. G. Fichte, the famed author of The Doctrine of Science, to apply idealistic philosophy to political economy. In the accompanying interpretive essay, Anthony Curtis Adler challenges the conventional scholarly view of The Closed Commercial State as a curious footnote to Fichte's thought. The Closed Commercial State, which Fichte himself regarded as his "best, most thought-through work," not only attests to a life-long interest in economics, but is of critical importance to his entire philosophical project. Carefully unpacking the philosophical nuances of Fichte's argument and its complex relationship to other texts in his oeuvre, Adler argues that The Closed Commercial State presents an understanding of the nature of history, and the relation of history to politics, that differs significantly from the teleological notions of history advanced by Schelling and later Hegel. This critical scholarly edition includes a German-English glossary, annotations, and page references to both major German editions.

Anthony Curtis Adler is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at the Underwood International College of Yonsei University, South Korea.

Reviews

"Adler's remarkable interpretive essay makes a substantial and original contribution to Fichte studies in its own right. It should be required reading for everyone working on Fichte's philosophy." — Daniel Breazeale, University of Kentucky