First Outline of a System of the Philosophy of Nature (Contemporary Continental Philosophy) (SUNY series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy)

Appearing Here In English For The First Time, This Is F.w.j. Schelling's Vital Document Of The Attempts Of German Idealism And Romanticism To Recover A Deeper Relationship Between Humanity And Nature And To Overcome The Separation Between Mind And Matter Induced By The Modern Reductivist Program. Written In 1799 And Building Upon His Earlier Work, First Outline Of A System Of The Philosophy Of Nature Provides The Most Inclusive Exposition Of Schelling's Philosophy Of The Natural World. He Presents A Startlingly Contemporary Model Of An Expanding And Contracting Universe; A Unified Theory Of Electricity, Gravity Magnetism, And Chemical Forces; And, Perhaps Most Importantly, A Conception Of Nature As A Living And Organic Whole.--jacket. Title Page Of Schelling 1799 Edition -- Foreword To Schelling 1799 Edition -- Outline Of The Whole -- First Division -- The Unconditioned In Nature -- The Original Qualities And Actants In Nature -- Actants And Their Combinations -- Inhibition And Stages Of Development -- Deduction Of The Dynamic Series Of Stages -- Second Division -- First System -- Second System -- Third Possible System -- Conclusions -- Third Division -- On The Concept Of Excitability -- Deduction Of Organic Functions From The Concept Of Excitability -- The Graduated Series Of Stages In Nature -- General Theory Of The Chemical Process -- The Theater Of The Dynamic Organization Of The Universe. F.w.j. Schelling ; Translated And With An Introduction And Notes By Keith R. Peterson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 239-247) And Index. FIRST OUTLINE OF A SYSTEM OF THE PHILOSOPHY OFNATURE......Page 2 CONTENTS......Page 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 8 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 10 TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION......Page 12 The Primacy of the Postulate......Page 14 From Postulate to Deduction......Page 19 Transcendental Deductions and The Idea of Nature......Page 23 Logogenesis, Construction, and Potency in the Philosophy of Nature......Page 28 Conclusion......Page 33 Works Cited......Page 34 TRANSLATOR’S NOTE......Page 38 Title Page of Schelling 1799 Edition......Page 40 Foreword to Schelling 1799 Edition......Page 42 OUTLINE OF THE WHOLE.......Page 44 I. The Unconditioned in Nature......Page 52 II. The Original Qualities and Actants in Nature......Page 58 III. Actants and Their Combinations......Page 67 IV. Inhibition and Stages of Development......Page 74 V. Deduction of the Dynamic Series of Stages......Page 92 SECOND DIVISION......Page 110 First System.......Page 112 Second System.......Page 113 Third Possible System.......Page 117 Conclusions.......Page 133 THIRD DIVISION......Page 144 I. On the Concept of Excitability......Page 145 II. Deduction of Organic Functions from the Concept of Excitability......Page 152 III. The Graduated Series of Stages in Nature......Page 180 Appendix to Chapter III.......Page 197 IV. General Theory of the Chemical Process.......Page 211 V. The Theater of the Dynamic Organization of the Universe......Page 226 What we call Philosophy of Nature is a Necessary Science in the System of Knowledge.......Page 232 Scientific Character of the Philosophy of Nature.......Page 233 Philosophy of Nature is Speculative Physics.......Page 234 On the Possibility of Speculative Physics.......Page 235 On a System of Speculative Physics in General.......Page 238 Internal Organization of the System of Speculative Physics.......Page 240 Appendix: Scientific Authors......Page 272 Translator’s Introduction......Page 278 Outline of the Whole......Page 283 First Division......Page 284 Third Division......Page 285 ENGLISH-GERMAN GLOSSARY......Page 288 GERMAN-ENGLISH GLOSSARY......Page 292 PAGE CONCORDANCE......Page 296 B......Page 300 E......Page 301 I......Page 302 N......Page 303 Q......Page 304 W......Page 305 Appearing here in English for the first time, this is F. W. J. Schelling's vital document of the attempts of German Idealism and Romanticism to recover a deeper relationship between humanity and nature and to overcome the separation between mind and matter induced by the modern reductivist program. Written in 1799 and building upon his earlier work, First Outline of a System of the Philosophy of Nature provides the most inclusive exposition of Schelling's philosophy of the natural world. He presents a startlingly contemporary model of an expanding and contracting universe; a unified theory of electricity, gravity magnetism, and chemical forces; and, perhaps most importantly, a conception of nature as a living and organic whole.