The question of ´the end of metaphysics´ is generally considered as a central
issue concerning the nature and significance of philosophy as such, and,
accordingly, as belonging to the realm of ´pure´ or ´fundamental´ philosophy.
By contrast, this book investigates to what extent the end of metaphysics might
be related to specific influences from outside philosophy. Focusing on the
period between 1830 and 1848, it argues that metaphysics was not so much
challenged by internal philosophical argument, but rather by a transformation
of Western culture in its entirety. Metaphysics was overtaken by the modern
spirit of the age. In consequence, this book approaches ´the end of
metaphysics´ as a problem of the philosophy of culture. Three historians of
culture provide an overview and analysis of the ´Age of Revolution´ by focusing
upon the political revolution in France, the industrial revolution in England
and the intellectual revolution in Germany respectively. The pro clamations of
the end of metaphysics by Auguste Comte, Friedrich Engels and Otto Friedrich
Gruppe are shown to mirror this threefold cultural transformation. Against this
backdrop, the idea of the end of metaphysics is brought into relief as a
historical reality during the years 1830 to 1848. The editors are members of
the Centre for Metaphysics and Culture at the University of Antwerp.
