Schelling and Revelation

The second of three articles written by Engels to criticize Schelling’s philosophy. The full title is Schelling and Revelation: Critique of the Latest Attempt of Reaction against the Free Philosophy. Written by Engels between January and the end of March 1842, published by Robert Binder in pamphlet form in Leipzig in 1842, without signature.

Schelling was a representative of the classical German philosophy and an objective idealist. In his early years, he advocated freedom and the rule of law, which played a positive role. In his later years, his thoughts degenerated and he became into a Christian philosopher and a guardian of the old system. In 1841, at the invitation of the Prussian government, Schelling taught his philosophy of revelation at the University of Berlin, attacked Hegel and Hegel’s philosophy, and served to safeguard the old reactionary system. After listening to Schelling’s slander and attack on Hegelian philosophy at the University of Berlin, young Engels was determined to expose its essence. In Schelling and Revelation, Engels first criticized Schelling’s betrayal of his early pursuit of reason and freedom and his submission to the pressure of feudal absolutism and orthodox theology, thus transforming him into a genuine Christian philosopher. In response to Schelling’s speech, Engels pointed out that there was nothing new in his lecture at the University of Berlin, which was the philosophy of revelation he had been preaching since 1831. According to Engels, because of the lack of logic and solid foundation in the way of thinking, this philosophy likes to seek support in meaningless thinking and refuted revelation of God, and its essence is a typical mythological philosophy, which has long fallen behind the times.

By criticizing Schelling in Schelling and Revelation, Engels exposed the essence of religious mysticism in Schelling’s philosophy of revelation and defended Hegel’s rationalism and dialectics.