This volume brings together for the first time a group of young researchers who can be seen as representative of a new generation of researchers working on German idealism. Over the past few decades, several generations of the reception of German idealist philosophers have resulted in an intensive, inspiring and fruitful debate about the concept ‘recognition’, a central topic in German idealism and the central topic of this book.

Critically approaching many of the classical boundaries set up by earlier generations, the new wave of researchers in this volume explores, diagnoses, analyzes and evaluates the prospects for, and limits of, recognition from an informed yet independent perspective. The contributors to this volume overcome both the traditionally strong emphasis on practical, especially political, philosophy when dealing with ‘recognition’, and classical divisions such as the ‘divide’ between analytic and continental philosophy, or between Frankfurt School interpretations and more scholarly approaches.

This unique combination of methodological interests leads to a variety of original voices which incorporate the history of reception, while also showing how German idealism continues to inspire new generations of philosophers. This book provides a first step toward a comprehensive conception of German idealism, through critical re-readings of the classical texts of German idealism, approaching their argumentative potential, their internal development, and, finally, their limits.