1. First lecture: Keys to Understanding Schelling

In this introductory lecture, I will provide a broader context for understanding Schelling as a Romantic thinker. I will offer an overview of his general approach and highlight the keys to understanding his philosophy: Polarity, Limitation of Human Understanding, and Contingency. I aim to defend Schelling to a considerable degree by identifying and formulating a consistent thread in his ideas — at least concerning the fundamental questions he grappled with throughout his life—and explaining why he was not merely a philosopher whose approach and concepts constantly shifted.


Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling is considered one of the most significant figures in German Idealism, alongside Fichte and Hegel. Some critics have argued that his views evolved significantly over time, making it difficult to categorize his philosophical approach; nevertheless, his ideas have had a profound and lasting influence.

In this chapter, we will examine his approach through the lens of Evolutionary Truth. We will explore how he developed his views on the creation and functioning of human subjectivity. Additionally, we will analyze his concept of the unconscious in his philosophy of Nature (Naturphilosophie) and later works. To gain a deeper understanding of Schelling, we will consider his ideas through the Formula of the World (Weltformel) as presented in the third draft of his Die Weltalter (Ages of the World).

We will focus on the psychological aspects of his work, compare them to the psychoanalytic ideas of Lacan and Žižek, and contextualize them within the framework of biological wisdom and Evolutionary Truth.



Keys to Understanding Schelling

The easiest way to grasp the evolution of Schelling's thought is by dividing his philosophy into three distinct stages: the Beginning (Philosophy of Nature, Identity-Philosophy), the Middle (Philosophy of Freedom, The Ages of the World), and the Late (Philosophy of Mythology and Philosophy of Revelation).

A concrete method for understanding Schelling is to focus on the ideas that remain consistent throughout his work. Three key concepts stand out: Polarity, Limitation of Human Understanding, and Contingency. Let us explore these concepts in more detail.

Polarity

Schelling’s work consistently highlights the motif of opposing forces and polarity, which appears across his Philosophy of Nature, Identity-Philosophy, and other writings. Polarity refers to the fundamental duality or tension between two principles that characterize the world. Importantly, these opposing forces are not isolated entities but interdependent and necessary for each other.

Examples of such forces include:

• Chaos and order

• Subject and object

• Finite and infinite

• Nature (physical laws and necessity) and Freedom (as human agency)

• Light and dark

• Positive and negative philosophy
  

For Schelling, chaos cannot exist without order, and order cannot exist without chaos — both are essential for the existence of the world.

Limitation of Human Understanding

Schelling emphasizes the inherent limitations of human thinking and experience. He argues that our knowledge of reality is always partial and incomplete, shaped by our perceptions and bounded by our finite nature. There is always something beyond what we can comprehend.

Examples of this limitation evolve through his periods:

Early Period. The gap between subject and object (e.g., we cannot fully know how another living being will react to our actions).

Middle Period. Limitations in understanding history (e.g., historical predictions are speculative at best).

Late Period. The insufficiency of reason to grasp the ideal (e.g., aesthetics and religious experiences reveal truths that rationality cannot fully capture).

Schelling viewed these limitations as intrinsic to our existence and believed they pointed to the need for something beyond rational thought, such as art, faith, or intuition.

Contingency

For Schelling, contingency refers to the idea that events and phenomena in the world are not entirely determined by laws or causes but instead occur through chance and unpredictability. This element of indeterminacy is essential for the possibility of freedom and creativity.

Examples of contingency include:

Self-consciousness. Arising from the unpredictable interaction between the self and the world, not entirely determined by laws or causes.

Art. The creative process involves unpredictability, which gives art its unique power and significance.

Freedom. True freedom requires an element of unpredictability in the world, as determinism would negate the possibility of free will.

In the simplest terms, Schelling’s philosophy can be divided into three stages: Beginning, Middle, and Late. Across these periods, three recurring motifs shape his ideas: Polarity, Limitation of Human Understanding, and Contingency. By examining these concepts, we gain a deeper understanding of Schelling’s evolving thought and its enduring significance.