Understanding Fichte's

Sefidkhosh, Meysam; Tahmasebi, Mohamad

doi:10.30465/crtls.2024.50394.2888

Understanding Fichte's "Die Bestimmung des Menchen" in Relation to a German Vocational Genre, Accompanied by a Critical Review of Its English and Persian Translations

Document Type : Research

Authors

Meysam Sefidkhosh ¹

Mohamad Tahmasebi ²

¹ Assistant professor of philosophy, faculty member of Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

² Ph.D. Candidate of philosophy, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Department, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/crtls.2024.50394.2888

Abstract

Abstract
Fichte's Die Bestimmung des Menschen was published during a pivotal moment in his intellectual life and sparked significant challenges within the philosophical culture of Germany. Shortly before this, Fichte had written a book titled Die Bestimmung des Gelehrten, indicating the historical context of an important literary genre in the late 18th and early 19th century in Germany, characterized by the active participation of prominent philosophers and thinkers. In this article, we first aim to explore this historical context to ascertain the tradition within which Fichte's work was written. Subsequently, we will critically evaluate both the English translations and, specifically, the sole Persian translation of this book from various perspectives, assessing their quality and examining their relationship with the genre of the vocational. Our findings indicate that Fichte's work is directly connected to the tradition through two currents: Popularphilosophie and the atheism debate. Furthermore, it becomes evident that most translations, both in English and Persian, have sacrificed the academic aspect of Fichte's book for its popular appeal. Thus, while they relate to the tradition of the vocational genre without necessarily referencing it explicitly, they do not adequately reflect its academic value.

Keywords

Destination

Determination

Human Purpose

Mission

The vocation of Man

Subjects

Philosophy

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