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Workshop: Sentiments in German Idealism

This seminar will explore the role of gratitude within the framework of German Idealism, focusing on its systematic importance in the philosophies of Immanuel Kant (Seminar I) and Friedrich Hölderlin (Seminar II).

Veranstaltungsdaten

This seminar will explore the role of gratitude within the framework of German Idealism, focusing on its systematic importance in the philosophies of Immanuel Kant (Seminar I) and Friedrich Hölderlin (Seminar II).

The first part of the seminar will examine Kant's practical philosophy, where gratitude plays a key role in moral development. Gratitude implies a recognition of both the benefactor and the beneficiary as ends in themselves, promoting moral progress. It will also be discussed how ingratitude can create epistemic barriers, obscuring our shared vulnerability and interdependence. Through Kant’s reflection on gratitude, broader themes such as global distributive justice, collective ownership of natural resources, and intergenerational justice are addressed, highlighting the concept’s relevance to contemporary ethical issues.

The second part of the seminar will delve into Hölderlin’s novel Hyperion, where gratitude is portrayed as an essential spiritual disposition. As will be justified, this work can be interpreted as the literary presentation of several attempts (friendship, love and fusion with Nature) to unify the fundamental division of consciousness as presented in Hölderlin's philosophical fragment Urteil und Sein. Through an analysis of Hyperion’s experiences, the seminar will discuss the insufficiency of his attempts and the role of gratitude as a spiritual disposition that enables a poetic transposition of reality and justifies the novel’s unfinished ending.

Through this dual lens, the seminar will offer a comprehensive understanding of how gratitude functions as a critical concept in both Kant’s ethical philosophy and Hölderlin’s poetic exploration of consciousness.

Note: the seminar will be conducted in German.