ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the immediate historical background of Fichte’s theory of freedom. It does so both from the narrow perspective of Fichte’s early system of pure deism and the broader perspective of Schmid and Reinhold’s conflicting reinterpretations of Kant’s theory of freedom. It begins by showing how Fichte’s early system reveals the impact of the extreme rationalism and necessitarianism of Karl Friedrich Hommel through a careful analysis of the posthumously published Some Aphorisms on Religion and Religion. It then offers a succinct exposition of Kant’s theory of freedom based on the main writings of his Critical period. After a brief look at Rehberg’s immanent critique of Kant’s practical philosophy, it considers how Schmid’s intelligible-fatalist interpretation evolves from Ulrich’s critique and how Reinhold’s theory of free choice evolved from Rehberg’s critique.
