[Born at Rammenau, in Germany, 1762. Died at Berlin, 1814. Aged 52.]
He was an humble private teacher in Leipzig when he first made
acquaintance with the writings of Kant, whose views he eagerly adopted
and cherished. He subsequently (1792) introduced himself to Kant by a
work which he wrote in eight days, “A Critique upon every possible
Revelation.” This publication procured for its author the Chair of
Philosophy at Jena, in 1793, which he was obliged to resign in
consequence of his heterodox religious principles. Finding an asylum in
Prussia, he was appointed to the Philosophical Chair first at Erlangen,
then at Berlin. In 1813, he joined a corps of volunteers, and took part
in the memorable campaign of that year, his wife accompanying him, and
performing many heroic and womanly services to the wounded. Husband and
wife both took fever in the discharge of their duties, and died. It has
been said of Fichte that he erected the temple which Kant declined to
build. His great aim was to construct a science out of Consciousness,
and to found upon it a system of morals. He endeavoured to establish the
identity of Being and Thought, and is therefore the great advocate of
Idealism, which, however, he understood in a different sense from that
taught by Berkeley. According to his theory, the realization of the
world is the complete development of ourselves--which should tend to the
beautiful, the useful, and the good. His life and death were both
honourable to his nature. Before he died, he was doomed to see his
system in a great measure superseded by that of Schelling.
[Bust by Ludwig Wichmann. Marble. The original is in the hall of the
University of Berlin. Executed for the University.]