Religion in the Later Schelling and Nietzsche: Similarities and Discontinuities

The later Schelling and Nietzsche developed unique and influential perspectives on the nature and function of religion. For certain reasons (developed below), often these perspectives have not only been viewed separately from their historical ancestry, but no heed has been given to a potential philosophical connection between them. The purpose of this project is then to re-contextualize the later Schelling and Nietzsche as post-Hegelian philosophers, and to show how they have developed kindred and perhaps even persuasive perspectives on religion. Both object to a similar problem in the approach to religion of their philosophical predecessors (primarily Kant, Schopenhauer and Hegel), namely the way these have attributed a moral or existential function to religion within a larger systematic philosophy. This has led them to explore the non-rationally systematic role of the religious: religion as the expression of a positive philosophy beyond systematic, negative philosophy (Schelling) or the religious, in an affirmative sense, as an ecstatic moment of affirmation (Nietzsche). While obviously quite different, the later Schelling’s and Nietzsche’s perspectives on religion have many aspects in common. This project would investigate these similarities (as well as the discontinuities) in order to properly assess the historical situation and relevance of the later Schelling’s and Nietzsche’s perspectives on religion.