Progressive Geographies

FWJ Schelling, The Ages of the World (1811) – SUNY Press 2019, translated by Joseph P. Lawrence

The first English translation of the first of three versions of this unfinished work by Schelling.

In 1810, after establishing a reputation as Europe’s most prolific philosopher, F. W. J. Schelling embarked on his most ambitious project, The Ages of the World. For over a decade he produced multiple drafts of the work before finally conceding its failure, a “failure” in which Heidegger, Jaspers, Voegelin, and many others have discerned a pivotal moment in the history of philosophy. Slavoj Žižek calls this text the “vanishing mediator,” the project that, even while withheld and concealed from view, connects the epoch of classical metaphysics that stretches from Plato to Hegel with the post-metaphysical thinking that began with Marx and Kierkegaard. Although drafts of the second and third versions from 1813 and 1815 have long been available in English, this translation by Joseph P. Lawrence is the first of the initial 1811 text. In his introductory essay, Lawrence argues for the importance of this first version of the work as the one that reveals the full sweep of Schelling’s intended project, and he explains its significance for concerns in modern science, history, and religion.

David Beer, Portraits of a Pulsating Life: Georg Simmel’s Encounter with Rembrandt – at Berfrois

Georg Simmel’s Concluding Thoughts: Worlds, Lives, Fragments is now out with Palgrave.

In May 1913, German sociologist Georg Simmel wrote to the poet and essayist Margarete von Bendemann to express his joy at seeing some ‘magnificent Rembrandts’. The encounter got him thinking. His gushing praise might place him in the category of an enthusiastic fan, but Simmel’s interest went far beyond a mere affection for Rembrandt’s portraits. The following year, Simmel moved from Berlin to Strasbourg, taking up his first proper academic post at the age of 56, and developed an increasing interest in how to conceptualise life. Uncertain times in Europe and the wrench of leaving his beloved Berlin had an impact on both his writing and thinking. Life, experience and modernity had always been preoccupations for Simmel, but something changed. In pursuit of inspiration, Rembrandt’s portraits proved to be source of ideas and insight as Simmel sought out a new conceptual palette. These paintings seemingly gave Simmel a template for how to think about life. Suddenly, inspired by Rembrandt, the theories he had been wrestling with began to take shape.

Rather nervously, Simmel began work on a book about Rembrandt. He wasn’t quite sure of his approach and nor, having only tangentially written about art and art exhibitions in the past, was he confident in his analytical and aesthetic eye. His nerves didn’t actually settle until the book was published and began to sell well – it was eventually the best-selling of his books during his lifetime. The root of Simmel’s anxiety was the unusual nature of the volume he was working on. Cutting across bodies of knowledge and roaming around disciplines, this was an unconventional venture. On the surface it is a long essay in the philosophy of art, look more closely and something else is going on. As Simmel wrote in a letter to Salomon Friedlaender in October 1914, the book he was working on was to pose the ‘problem of life in art’. [continues here]