Jacobi and nihilism
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Keywords

principio de razón suficiente
Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi
nihilismo
libertad nihilism
freedom
principle of sufficient reason
Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi

How to Cite

Kowalczyk-Gutiérrez, G. (2026). Jacobi and nihilism: critique of the Principle of Sufficient Reason. Eikasía Revista De Filosofía, (140), 467–486. https://doi.org/10.57027/eikasia.140.1184

Abstract

This article reconstructs and analyzes F. H. Jacobi's critique of the principle of sufficient reason (PSR), arguing that its universalization leads to Spinoza's determinism and, ultimately, to nihilism. Contrary to the traditional view that accuses him of being anti-rationalist, the article argues that Jacobi does not abandon reason but rather limits it, criticizing the claim of a unique and all-encompassing rationality. Through an analysis of the explanatory closure generated by the PSR, the «internal proof» of his argument, and Glaube's proposal as a way out, the article argues that Jacobi seeks to relocate the principle within its proper sphere of validity: effective for intramundane causes, but ineffective for the foundation of freedom and the beginning in the strong sense. Thus, the article proposes that the Jacobian vision does not require discarding the PSR, but rather understanding its limitations in order to preserve personhood and being.

https://doi.org/10.57027/eikasia.140.1184
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