ABSTRACT
The comparision of works demonstrates that J. G. Fichte postulates a common systematic foundation of both moral law and natural right in the Contribution, whereas he denies explicitly the possibility of a deduction of natural right from moral law, which Fichte accuses some philosophers to have done. In 1796, Fichte denies the possibility of deducing natural right from moral law. This chapter examines what exactly the connection is between natural right and moral law as portrayed in the Contribution. The concept of duty, which arises from the moral law, is directly opposed to the concept of right in most of its characteristics. The moral law commands duty categorically: the law of right only permits, but never commands, that one exercise[s] one’s right. If the philosophy of right is the science of the community of individuals and their realization of freedom, this latter aspect also has to be taken into consideration.
