Chapter 4 analyses the metaphysical basis of Schelling’s system of identity. It begins with the claim that the absolute, identity, indifference, reality, and God all name the same thing: what exists. There is nothing beyond such identity—and thus Schelling is committed to radical immanence... see more

Chapter 5 continues the consideration of Schelling’s metaphysics in the system of identity by asking how individuals emerge from such a rigorously monistic reality. The answer lies in the idea of refraction: identity is refracted into different potencies—existing in different quantities an... see more

Construction is the key concept introduced in Chapter 6 and it forms the heart of Schellingian epistemology of the period. This situates Schelling in an early modern tradition of epistemology in which knowledge is gained not through perception, deduction, or dialectic but through a method ... see more

Chapter 8 forms a transitional chapter in which Whistler addresses a number of the arguments and scholarly concerns usually raised concerning the possibility of Schelling holding a coherent theory of language in the system of identity. To begin, he demonstrates that Schelling needs a theor... see more