Freedom and Ground

Mark J. Thomas is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Central College.

"Mark J. Thomas's surgically precise and illuminating exegesis of Schelling's famed 1809 Freedom essay is not strictly speaking a commentary, but rather a recreation and amplification of what he considers the essay's central and organizing concern … Thomas and his careful reorganization of the text, including his granular navigation of Schelling's problematic within the troubled waters of the history of the problem of ground, clearly and forcefully demonstrates that Schelling's treatise is undeniably a radical and seminal reconsideration of the problem of ground." — Research in Phenomenology"In this extraordinary book, Mark Thomas takes the question of ground as central to Schelling's philosophy, especially to his famous treatise on human freedom. Thomas shows how the theme of ground provides a means by which to understand such concepts as freedom, reason, existence, and evil. The book displays exemplary precision as well as original and profound insights into Schelling's thought. Thomas explains in detail the way in which all of Schelling's writings come together in his project of a system of freedom. Finally, Thomas shows how Schelling's concept of ground represents a challenge to classical metaphysics and both anticipation and critique of several major issues in contemporary philosophy. Thomas's book is—and will no doubt remain—a landmark in the interpretation of Schelling's philosophy." — John Sallis, Boston College"With this thoroughly researched and carefully argued book, Mark Thomas sets a new standard for rigor in Schelling studies. I anticipate that within the next few years everyone doing serious work on the Freedom Essay will be expected to read and comment on this book." — Christopher Lauer, author of The Suspension of Reason in Hegel and Schelling

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroduction1. Ground and the Question of a System of FreedomThe Concept of SystemThe Principle of Ground and the Concept of SystemJacobi and the Conflict between System and FreedomTwo Predominant Metaphors for SystemConclusion: Heidegger and the Alleged Failure of a System of Freedom2. Identity, Ground, and the Meaning of the Copula in JudgmentsPantheism and the Nature of IdentityExplication of Schelling's Four Accounts of the CopulaConclusion: The Unity of Schelling's Account of the Copula? 3. The Creative Unity of the Law of IdentityThe Unity Expressed by the Law of IdentityThe Co-originality of the Laws of Identity and GroundThe Transformation of the Law of GroundDivine Grounding and the Possibility of Freedom4. Schelling's Fundamental Distinction between Ground and What ExistsGeneral Characterization of the DistinctionThe Distinction in Relation to the Doctrine of PotenciesThe Distinction within the DistinctionThe Grounding Character of the Ground of ExistenceGrounding Relations in a System of Freedom5. Evil and the IrrationalThe Ground of EvilEvil as a Ground of Revelation? The Irrational and the Irreducible RemainderThe Living Character of Schelling's Rationalism6. The Ungrund as the Ultimate OriginThe Context of Schelling's Treatment of the UngrundThe Ungrund as the Wesen of the Two Principles in GodCharacteristics of the Ungrund and Its Relation to Schelling's Previous Descriptions of the AbsoluteIndifference and the Grounding Character of the UngrundThe Ungrund and the Relationship between Essence and Form 7. Freedom, Necessity, and Self-GroundingThe Formal vs. the Real Concept of FreedomThe Unity of Freedom and Necessity beyond AppearanceThe Intelligible DeedSelf-Grounding and the Concept of Causa SuiConclusion: Ground in a System of FreedomNotesBibliographyIndex