Dialectics of Enlightenment

Abstract

This article explores the recent reception of the German Idealist tradition within the English-speaking philosophical world. Texts by four authors-Fredrick Beiser, Richard Velkley, Dennis Schmidt, and Gregg Horowitz-are examined as to their respective participation in what I call a materialist appropriation of German Idealism. In this article, I explore (1) what the term 'materialism' means in this context and (2) the reasons for such a new interpretation. I hold that this interpretation is utilized as a response to the Enlightenment priority of universalizing abstraction. Further, I hold that such an interpretation amounts to a reclaiming of German Idealism from previous interpretations which viewed it as supporting this priority.