Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von (1775–1854)

German philosopher who developed a ‘philosophy of identity’ (Identitätsphilosophie), in which subject and object are seen as united in the absolute. His early philosophy influenced G W F Hegel, but his later work criticizes Hegel, arguing that being necessarily precedes thought.

Schelling began as a follower of J G Fichte, but moved away from subjective idealism, which treats the external world as essentially immaterial.