The atheism controversy was a religious philosophical discussion in the duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach in the years 1798 and 1799, which was initiated by the philosopher Friedrich Karl Forberg and the philosophy professor Johann Gottlieb Fichte who was then teaching at the University of Jena forced resignation of Fichte from his professorship.
The dispute was about the relationship between God and the world, and the possibility of a moral world order without the necessity of the existence of God. The latter possibility had been postulated by Forberg in an article in the Philosophical Journal of December 1798, published by Fichte (and Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer). In the same issue Fichte defended this position for Forbergs.
The name of the controversy appears misleading since Fichte did not represent an atheist position at all. He defended himself only against an anthropomorphic idea of God based on human ideas, since in his opinion it was compelling to think of God smaller and even finite. God is, on the contrary, greater than man's power of representation, which is why he should not be thought of as a person.
In 1799 Forberg and Fichte were accused of spreading atheistic ideas and godlessness (Asebie). Fichte was forced to resign by the Duke of Weimar, Carl August. Single-level Edit source text Edit source text
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