This book is an attempt to rehabilitate Schiller as a philosopher. It defends his philosophy against his Marxist, post-modernist and Kantian critics. Some chapters are exegetical, others thematic. The exegetical chapters (2-4) re-examine the arguments and context of some of his most important writings, Kallias Briefe, Anmut und Würde, and the Äesthetische Briefe. The thematic chapters treat Schiller’s intellectual development, his concept of freedom, his theory of tragedy, and his dispute with the Kantians. In defense of Schiller, it is argued that his project for an objective aesthetic was no ... More

This book is an attempt to rehabilitate Schiller as a philosopher. It defends his philosophy against his Marxist, post-modernist and Kantian critics. Some chapters are exegetical, others thematic. The exegetical chapters (2-4) re-examine the arguments and context of some of his most important writings, Kallias Briefe, Anmut und Würde, and the Äesthetische Briefe. The thematic chapters treat Schiller’s intellectual development, his concept of freedom, his theory of tragedy, and his dispute with the Kantians. In defense of Schiller, it is argued that his project for an objective aesthetic was not misguided in principle, that he does not conflate aesthetic and moral values, that his concept of the beautiful soul should not be confused with its Rousseauian variants, and that his concept of grace does not mean acting from natural sentiment. It is also contended that Schiller offers a plausible revision of Kant’s moral philosophy, an interesting response to the problem of freedom in post-Kantian philosophy, and a much underrated theory of tragedy, and a remarkable attempt to square the demands of aesthetic autonomy with moral purpose in the arts. The aim is not to sanctify or whitewash Schiller, but to show that his critics have largely misunderstood him.