REFLEXE
REFLEXE
Reflexe a journal of philosophy, was founded in 1985 by Ladislav Hejdánek. The first three issues, originaly published in the underground (samizdat) form, were re-issued legally in 1990. The journal then continued as a quarterly and later, in its present form, as a bi-annual. The focus is on original studies in the areas of Philosophy and Theology. While translations of important philosophical essays are also published, preference is given to new publications. Each issue includes reviews of recent philosophical literature from the Czech Republic and abroad.

REFLEXE, Vol 2025 No 69 (2025), 25–46

Article

Relativní totalita jako zdroj diference v Schellingově filosofii identity

[Relative Totality as a Source of Difference in Schelling’s Philosophy of Identity]

Jan Thümmel

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/25337637.2026.2
published online: 23. 02. 2026

abstract

The article offers a reconstruction of Schelling’s concept of relative totality within the framework of his philosophy of identity, with a particular focus on its role as a source of difference. Relative totality is presented as a key structural element of Schelling’s system, enabling the articulation of difference within absolute identity. The analysis shows that the being as well as the form of absolute identity remain intact, while quantitative differences allow for the emergence of relative totalities that introduce a formal – though not real – differentiation between individuals and the whole. Whereas in his Presentation of My System of Philosophy (1801), Schelling considers the possibility of methodologically positing something beyond absolute identity, in Philosophy and Religion (1804) he develops this notion further through the concept of a fall from the absolute into actual non-being. The development of Schelling’s philosophy of identity thus reveals a tension between formal and ontological difference, raising the question of the possibility of real difference within a system.

keywords: Schelling, F. W. J.; identity; difference; relative totality

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Relativní totalita jako zdroj diference v Schellingově filosofii identity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

202 x 130 mm
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print price: 180 czk
ISSN: 0862-6901
E-ISSN: 2533-7637

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