Fichte's Conception of Duty Analytical Essay by Shaad

This paper analyzes Fichte's concept of duty while explaining that Fichte's ideas are derived from Kant. The paper discusses how Fichte does not accept transcendental idealism, his effort is to locate reality in the here and now. For this reason, as the paper goes on to explain, he proposes that the ego posits its own existence. The difference is that, whereas Kant arrives at a theoretical construct of duty, Fichte lays stress on the conscience. The paper goes on to elaborate on this crucial difference, and it goes on to argue that Fichte is an improvement on Kant because morality is described here as a practice rather than merely a theoretical framework. The paper then goes on to highlight the dangers involved in such thinking, and explains how Fichte's philosophy has given rise to German idealism, Marxism and German nationalism. It also examines the strong atheistic strain in such thinking.