Leipziger Konstellationen. Zum Kantianismus an der Universität Leipzig um 1790

The essay explores the extent to which the Leipzig environment, and in particular Fichte’s reading of Kant’s Critique of Judgement in Leipzig, influenced the reorientation of Fichte’s philosophical thought. In doing so, the role of Leipzig scholars at the end of the 18th century played in the dissemination or hindrance of Kant’s philosophy will be examined and, in this way, Henrich’s method of a research based on ‘constellations’ will be applied to Leipzig University, in order to place Fichte’s reading of Kant in this context. Consequently, the course of argumentation will be structured as follows. First, Fichte’s reading of the third Critique will be analysed by highlighting the elements of his notes on Kant’s theory of taste and of nature which might have led to the attenuation of Fichte’s deterministic beliefs. Second, in order to contextualise Fichte’s reading of the Critique of Judgement within the Leipzig university environment, the main features of the way of teaching philosophy at the University of Leipzig in the second half of the 18th century will be outlined. This will shed light on some aspects of the reception of Kant’s philosophy at the Saxonian State University and highlight the most significant basic features of the ‘Leipzig constellation’.