The great quest for systematic knowledge in the decades around the year 1800 gave rise to one of the most spirited eras in the history of philosophical exploration, exemplified by the school of German Idealist philosophy. With confidence and sweeping aspirations, the Idealist philosophers Immanuel Kant, Johann Fichte, Friedrich Schelling, and Georg Hegel set out to make metaphysics a science, to explore the nature of the self and man's role in society, to examine the essence of the natural world, and to develop a vision of world history and the progressive consciousness of man. In this masterful introduction to German Idealism, Rudiger Bubner brings together key texts and lesser known extracts from the works of these four powerful intellects, together with insightful overviews of each philosopher and an account of the movement as a whole. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.