Einleitung/Introduction

In this introduction, central questions of the anthology are examined. The questions are: What is performativity? What is the hermeneutical and systematic significance of performative interpretations of theories developed within classical German Philosophy? Accordingly, the first section will explain to some extent what is meant by performativity. In the second section, an example of a performative interpretation of an important concept in F.W.J. Schelling’s System of Transcendental Idealism (1800) is presented with regard to Schelling’s concept of intellectual intuition. Following on from this, the systematic and hermeneutic relevance of performative interpretations is explained. Finally, the third section briefly presents the contributions to the volume, focusing on the volume’s central questions.