Schelling himself, by changing his opinions, demonstrated 

 the movement from advanced ideas to reactionary political and 

 philosophical ideas. The young Schelling began with the 

 study of the unity of all features of nature. He anticipated 

 the idea of the community of physical forces. He stated in 

 teleological form the idea of organic development and the idea 

 of the origin of living creatures from one initial form. He 

 ended with the revelation of God as his approach. Engels 

 described this evolution of Schelling 's ideas in the following 

 lively and poetic passage: 



When he [Schelling — L. B.) was still young, he was 

 different. His charming intellect at that time gave 

 rise to brilliant thoughts. Some of them served their 

 role in the struggle of the younger generation. He, 

 at that time, freely and courageously swam in the 

 open sea of thoughts in order absolutely to open the 

 Atlantic .... The fire of youth took him 

 to the flames of enthusiasm ... he announced the 

 approach of a new time .... He opened wide the 

 doors of philosophy, and in the halls of abstract 

 thought the fresh smell of nature appeared: a warm 

 spring ray fell on the seeds and awakened in them all 

 the sleeping forces. But the fire died; the courage 

 changed; the grape, in the process of fermentation, 

 did not become clear wine but turned into vinegar. The 

 ship dancing with courage and joy on the waves fell 

 asleep. It entered into a small harbor of belief and 

 dashed the keel onto the sand, so that it could not 

 move from its place . There it lies now and no one 

 can distinguish that old useless ship from the previous 

 ship, which had never, with its flags turned down, 

 sailed in the sea with full sails. 1 



Schel ling's Naturphilosophie, originating from his 

 subjective-idealistic ideas, is based on the idea that all 

 living creatures on earth form a complete unity, the kingdom 

 of the development of life, whose reason for creation develops 



1. F. Engels, "Schelling and Revelation: The Critics of the 

 Newest Reactionary Attempt upon Free Philosophy" (1842) . 

 K. Marx and F. Engels, WORKS, Vol. 11, 1931, pp. 163 - 164 



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