Early German Philosophy: Kant and His Predecessors

This is a comprehensive history of German philosophy from its medieval beginnings to the late 18th century. In exploring the spirit of German intellectual life and its distinctiveness from that of other countries, the text devotes whole chapters to four of the great philosophers - Nicholas of Cusa, Leibniz, Lessing and Kant - and extensively examines many others, including Albertus Magnus, Meister Eckhart, Paracelsus, Kepler, Mendelssohn, Wolff and Herder. Questioning explanations of philosophy by the racial or ethnic character of its exponents, Beck's conclusion is that German philosophy developed as a series of diverse responses to the historical experiences of the German people. The peculiarities of German philosophy should be viewed in the light of German political problems and educational structures. In particular Beck stresses the importance of the connections between philosophy and Germany's intellectual, literary, religious and political history.