Fichte and the Development of Early German Romantic Philosophy

The “Double Sense” of Fichte’s Philosophical Language. Some Critical Reflections on the Cambridge Companion to Fichte

“…In the Cambridge Companion to Fichte Elizabeth Millán succinctly observes the willed and performative aspect of this move: Fichte's philosophy is a "bold shift from a fact (Tatsache) of consciousness to an act of performance (Tathandlung) of consciousness uncovering a new starting point for all philosophizing." 38 While in his rich article on "The Dynamic Structure of Consciousness", Christian Klotz also underscores the dual sense of Tathandlung: "There are two important aspects that Fichte wants to emphasize with this peculiar terminological move. First, the term expresses the difference between the self-constitutive activity of the I and whatever is a fact (Tatsache) of consciousness and thus is grounded by the I's activity.…”