Ernst Friedrich Apelt, Papers on Philosophy and History of Science

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Helmut Pulte
• Subject Area: History of Philosophy ; History of Science
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 562082805

The Jena philosopher Ernst Friedrich Apelt (1812-1859) is one of the most important representatives of a Kantianism that formulates a science-oriented and empirically open development of transcendental philosophy in the tradition of his teacher J. F. Fries, meant to be an alternative to the system philosophy of German idealism. In addition to his works on general philosophy, Apelts's work includes important systematic contributions to the philosophy of science and to the history of science and history of culture. These contributions have only been partially explored to date. The project aims to make Apelt's work available for further research by editing his published writings and a selection of manuscripts and letters, and thus also to contribute to a stronger philosophical and scientific historical research of a science-related direction of Kantianism in the first half of the 19th century, which has so far been in the ‘shadow’ of the great system philosophies. An edition of the works of Apelt seems indispensable for a better understanding of the continuities and breaks between ‘early’ Kantianism and Neo-Kantianism. All of Apelt's published writings and a selection of unpublished manuscripts (lecture notes, letters) will be edited. During the application period, Apelt's main philosophical and scientific-historical works will initially be published.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants