The Science of Rights by Fichte, J.G - 1869

Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co, 1869. First English language edition. Hardcover. Good+. 8vo. [3], iv, [2], vii-viii, [1], 10-505, [3] pp. Original green cloth with gold lettering and decoration on the spine. Translated from the German by A.E. Kroeger. First published in 1797 in Germany. Honderich 277-279. SEP, "Johann Gottlieb Fichte". According to Honderich, "[Fichte] was the first of the great post-Kantian idealists. The Science of Rights applies ethical principles to law, the family, individual rights within the state, and relations between states. The state exists to protect the rights of its citizens and it's 'nothing but an abstract conception; only the citizens, as such, are actual persons'. States should form a confederation to secure the freedom of all men, and ultimately all men should belong to a single commonwealth" (Honderich 278). Fichte also argues here that the state should vigorously control its own economy so that each worker can maximize his productivity. This work is significant for its delineation between the realm of ethics and that of a political "right". The Science of Rights tries to develop a comprehensive theory of political right for humans and animals, a theory of right outside of Kant's Categorical Imperative and a theory of rights outside of moral law. According to Fichte, the freedom of each individual must be restricted so that several individuals can co-exist with the maximum amount of mutual freedom preserved (SEP, "Johann Gottlieb Fichte"). Fichte bases this theory off his estimation of the social character of human beings (SEP, "Johann Gottlieb Fichte"). Fichte was an immense influence on Schelling and Hegel, the Romantics of the early nineteenth century, and the philosophies of liberal individualism and communism. A Good+ copy with notable wear to the extremities and a few owner's markings including a bit of pencil annotation scattered throughout.