On the basis of the identical terms ›Vereinigung‹, ›Wechselwirkung‹ and ›Bestimmbarkeit‹ in Fichte’s ‘Foundations of the Science of Knowledge’ and Schiller’s letters ‘On the Aesthetic Education of Man’, this article examines the relationship between science and art in both texts. In order to analyse the respective underlying concepts of knowledge, the semantic uses, methodological differences, and epistemological relations of the three terms are compared. Whereas Fichte ultimately rejects his own concept of ›Wechselwirkung‹ due to his adherence to strict scientific and disciplinary guidelines, Schiller uses its epistemological potential to practice his claim to an ›aesthetic art‹. This aesthetic and artistic transformation of philosophical issues represents a temporary connection between the knowledge systems science and art as well as philosophy and literature.
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