International eConference 

Conception 

Philosophical activity in 19th century Germany represents a peak in the history of philosophy, which began with Thales in ancient Greece. However, the conventional image of 19th-century German philosophy should be reconsidered. To achieve this, it is necessary to illuminate a forgotten philosophical stream contemporaneous with so-called ‘German idealism’.

Jakob Friedrich Fries, a philosopher contemporaneous and in confrontation with Hegel is one of the most important figures in this context. One of Fries’ most important books is System der Metaphysik; this book is a bible for the philosophy of Fries and his followers, the so-called ‘Friesian School’. The Friesian school dominated the philosophical and scientific world of the 19th century. In addition, after the fall of the Friesian school, the Neo-Friesian school initiated by Leonard Nelson dominated the scientific world in the 20th century.

The year 2024 is the 200th anniversary of the publication of System der Metaphysik. This conference aims to reconsider Fries’ philosophy and the significance of Fries and the Friesian and Neo-Friesian thought in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

This conference will also attempt to reconstruct the picture of 19th-century German philosophy. In the 19th and 20th centuries, thinkers other than Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel—especially Fries—significantly influenced the history of philosophy, representing an alternative vision to Hegel’s.

From this viewpoint, this conference attempts to address the following themes but not restricted:

Themes:

- Historical background of Jakob Friedrich Fries

- Friesian school and Neo-Friesian school

- Friesian philosophy and the history of philosophy

- Fries and philosophy of science

- Fries and philosophies of culture

- Fries and Japanese philosophy

- Fries and contemporary philosophy     

Registration