89FILMER, SIR ROBERT(1843), and The Essence of Religion
(1846).
FICHTE, JOHANN GOTTLIEB (1762–
1814). German idealist philosopher. A
supporter of the French Revolution and
an admirer of Kant, Fichte taught at Jena
from 1794 until his dismissal in 1799
on charges of promoting atheism. His
publications and teachings in this period
had a huge influence on a generation of
German thinkers and writers. Aiming to
develop Kant’s critical philosophy into a
rigorous and thoroughgoing system of
idealism (“Wissenschaftslehre”—Science
of Knowledge), Fichte attempted to derive
all of reality from the “self-positing” activ-
ity of the Ego. But he also argued that this
idealism could not be made fully compre-
hensible on a purely theoretical level and
must be taken up as a practical demand
for an infinite striving to realize the ideal
in the real. Thus idealism becomes a prac-
tical philosophy of ethics and politics. In
his own way, therefore, Fichte maintained
the Kantian thesis of the primacy of prac-
tical reason. His later writings were
mostly political, and he became a leading
spokesman for German nationalism. His
works include Critique of all Revelation
(1792), Foundation of the Science of
Knowledge (1794), The Foundation of
Natural Rights (1796), A System of Ethics
(1798), The Vocation of Man (1800),
Characteristics of the Present Age (1804),
Way to a Blessed Life (1806), The Closed
Commercial State (1800), and Speeches to
the German Nation (1807–1808).
FICINO, MARSILIO (1433–1499). An
important advocate of a Platonic under-
standing of Christianity, Ficino translated
and commented on Plato’s Symposium
and advocated a high view of divine love
spiritually. His works include Commen-
tary on Plato’s Symposium (1469), On
the Christian Religion (1474), Platonic
Theology (1482), as well as a translation
of Plato’s works (1483) and a translation
of Plotinus (1492).FIDEISM. From the Latin, literally mean-
ing “Faith-ism.” A radical form of fideism
holds that evidence is of no relevance
to the nature and integrity of faith. Less
radical forms of fideism allow for some
justificatory reasons through religious
experience, for example, but resist ratio-
nalist or empiricist methodologies and
what some call evidentialism (the thesis
that for a belief to be licit it must be sup-
ported by available evidence).FILMER, SIR ROBERT (c. 1588–1653).
An English political writer, Sir Robert
Filmer was educated at Cambridge and
later knighted by Charles I. He is best
known for his efforts to develop a doc-
trine of the divine right of kings rooted in
the Bible and Christian faith. In his post-
humously published Patriarcha (1680),
he rooted patriarchalism in the authority
given by God to Adam, applying this
analogously to contemporary kingship.
He also sought to trace a succession from