Fichte's Normative Ethics: Perfectionism and Consequentialism, Part 1

ABSTRACT

The following essay, which comes in two parts, examines three prominent readings of Fichte's normative ethics: a consequentialist reading, a deontological reading, and a hybrid reading that combines teleological and deontological features. An alternative to the current hybrid readings on offer is provided. The alternative hybrid reading endorses the view that Fichte's ethics (1) qualifies as a form of perfectionism, and particularly a form of normative perfectionism, (2) presents self‐sufficiency as an agent‐neutral value to be perfected, and (3) argues that his normative perfectionism accepts an agent‐centered restriction on how the agent‐neutral value of self‐sufficiency is promoted. Part 1 provides a brief overview of Fichte's major work on ethics, The System of Ethics , examines the distinction between teleological and deontological ethical theories, introduces the idea that Fichte's perfectionism qualifies as a form of normative perfectionism, and, finally, examines the consequentialist reading.