Reading Rodl: On Self-Consciousness and Objectivity

Sebastian Rödl's Self-Consciousness and Objectivity is one of the most original and thought-provoking books in analytic philosophy for the last several years. An ambitious defence of absolute idealism, Rödl rejects the idea that we as thinking beings can position ourselves within a given, mind-independent reality, and instead advances the position that the very idea of an ‘objective reality’ coincides with the self-consciousness of thought.

In this outstanding collection, a roster of international contributors critically examine the significance of Rödl's arguments and develop them in new directions. Their contributions are organised into the following six sections:

• Self-Consciousness and Objectivity and naturalism
• Self-Consciousness and Objectivity and formal idealism
• Self-Consciousness and Objectivity and quietism
• Self-Consciousness and Objectivity and absolute idealism
• Self-Consciousness and Objectivity and the power of judgment
• Self-Consciousness and Objectivity and the determinacy of the individual

The volume concludes with an extensive response by Sebastian Rödl to his critics. This book constitutes essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary debates at ther intersection of analytic philosophy and philosophical idealism.

James F. Conant is Chester D. Tripp Professor of Humanities, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor in the College at the University of Chicago.

Jesse M. Mulder is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Sebastian Rödl is Professor of Philosophy in the Institute of Philosophy, Leipzig University, Germany.