1762-1814. German philosopher who developed a
comprehensive form of subjective idealism,
expounded in The Science of Knowledge 1794.
He was an admirer of Immanuel Kant. In 1792,
Fichte published Critique of Religious
Revelation, a critical study of Kant's
doctrine of the `thing-in-itself'. For
Fichte, the absolute ego posits both the
external world (the non-ego) and finite self.
Morality consists in the striving of this
finite self to rejoin the absolute. In 1799
he was accused of atheism, and was forced to
resign his post as professor of philosophy at
Jena. He moved to Berlin, where he devoted
himself to public affairs and delivered
lectures, including Reden an die deutsche
Nation/Addresses to the German People
1807-08, which influenced contemporary
liberal nationalism.