The Difference Between Fichte’s and Schelling’s Systems of Philosophy (1801) is Hegel’s first philosophical publication. Here, Hegel addresses fundamental questions of a philosophy of the Absolute with originality and independence: he discusses the organ and method of philosophizing, the relationship between reflection and speculation, between philosophy and system, the purpose and necessity of philosophy, as well as the historical conditions and contingencies of philosophizing. This text on the difference between systems is particularly well-suited as an introduction to the beginnings, scope, and character of Hegel’s thought.
This volume includes key texts by G.W.F. Hegel that explore the philosophical systems and ideas that informed his early thought, presenting his critique and comparisons of the systems of Fichte and Schelling. At the forefront is Hegel’s essay on the difference between the Fichtean and Schellingian systems of philosophy, which sets the foundation for understanding Hegel’s evolving concepts of dialectics and the absolute. Included are critical reviews and analyses Hegel wrote for the Erlanger Literatur-Zeitung, examining significant works of his contemporary philosophers like Bouterwek, Werneburg, Gerstäcker, and Krug, as well as his responses to these thinkers’ ideas on speculation, right, and logic.
The volume also contains several issues of the Critical Journal of Philosophy, co-edited by Hegel, which include important essays on skepticism, identity, natural philosophy, and the role of common sense in philosophical discourse. Notably, the essays Faith and Knowledge, which dissects Kantian, Jacobi’s, and Fichte’s philosophy, and On the Relationship of the Philosophy of Nature to Philosophy in General, underscore Hegel’s early attempts to synthesize and critique existing systems.
In addition to these formative essays, the book features the Maxims of the Journal of German Literature, where Hegel reviews important works such as Herder’s God, highlighting his engagement with contemporary German literature and philosophy. The supplementary section includes annotations, editorial commentary, an index of persons, and symbols used, along with an editorial report detailing the compilation and constitution of the texts. This volume is essential for understanding the trajectory of Hegel’s thought as he refined his concepts of nature, spirit, and dialectical reasoning.
Simon Gros 
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