Note on the Translations and AcknowledgmentsNotes on ContributorsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: Defining the Dynamics of Being: How the Bestimmungsfrage became a Driving Force in German Enlightenment and Beyond, Anne Pollok (University of South Carolina, USA)Part I: Translations 1. Johann Joachim Spalding: Contemplation on the Vocation of the Human Being (1748), translated by Courtney Fugate, (American University of Beirut, Lebanon)2. Thomas Abbt and Moses Mendelssohn: Doubt and Oracle On the Human Vocation, plus Excerpts from their Correspondence, 1756-1766, translated by Anne Pollok (University of South Carolina, USA)Part II: Essays3. The Place of the Human Being in the World: Johann Joachim Spalding on Religion and Philosophy as a Way of Life, Laura Anna Macor (Oxford University, UK)4. Between Spalding and Fichte: The Vocation of the Human Being in Mendelssohn and Kant, Günter Zöller (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany)5. Reinhard Brandt: Excerpt from The Human Vocation in Kant, translated by Courtney Fugate (American University of Beirut, Lebanon) and Anne Pollok (University of South Carolina, USA)6. Kant on the Human Vocation, Allen Wood (Stanford University, USA and Indiana University, USA)7. Understanding the Vocation of the Human Being Through the Kantian Sublime, Giulia Milli (University of Genoa, Italy)8. ‘It will be well’: Isaak Iselin on the Self-Realization of Humanity in History, Ansgar Lyssy (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany)9. Whose Vocation? Which Man?: A.W. Rehberg on Vocation of Man and Political Theory, Michael Gregory (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)10. Religious Anthropology and Pluralism: Herder on the Bildung of Humanity, Niels Wildschut (University of Vienna, Austria)11. The Doctrine of Palingenesis in Fichte’s Vocation of the Human Being, David W. Wood (KU Leuven, Belgium)12. The Vocation of Philosophy: Hegel on “Speculative” Science and the Human Good, Brady Bowman (Pennsylvania State University, USA)Bibliography Index

The 18th century debate about the vocation of human being gave shape and direction to later philosophy. Yet the debate, especially its early phases, remain curiously under-researched. With its translation of original sources and ten newly commissioned essays by leading scholars in the field, this volume represents a valuable addition to our understanding of the Enlightenment, Idealism, and beyond.

Central and previously overlooked ideas and thinkers from the German Enlightenment Era are showcased in this series. Expanding research into areas that have been neglected particularly in English-language scholarship, it covers the work of lesser-known authors, previously untranslated texts, and issues that have suffered an undeserved life on the margins of current philosophical-historical discussion about 18th-century German thought. By opening itself to a broad range of subjects and placing the role of women during this period centre-stage, the series not only advances our understanding about the German Enlightenment and its connection with the pan-European debates, but also contributes to debates about the reception of Newtonian science and the impact of Leibnizian, Kantian and Wolffian philosophies. Featuring edited collections and single-authored works, and overseen by an esteemed Editorial Board, the goal is to enrich current debates in the history of philosophy and to correct common misconceptions.