La Doctrina de la Ciencia de Fichte como el primer sistema de la libertad

Abstract

In this paper I discuss J. G. Fichte’s well-known statement that his philosophy is “the first system of freedom”. I focus on exploring three different senses in which this statement can be interpreted, based on other letters and texts by Fichte. First, I show that the Doctrine of Science is, according to Fichte, the first system of freedom because freedom is the guiding idea that inspires his system. Secondly, I argue that the Doctrine of Science, being a system of knowledge or knowledge of knowledge, is the first system of freedom because, as stated in On the Concept of the Doctrine of Science, Fichte considers that his philosophy, as a system, must be a product of the freedom of whoever conceives it. Finally, in the third place, I argue that this statement refers to the fact that, according to Fichte, freedom is an indispensable requirement for any apprentice of philosophy and especially for anyone who intends to adopt the idealist position of his Doctrine of Science.