Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (27 January 1775 – 20 August 1854), later von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German idealism, situating him between Fichte, his mentor as very young writer, and Hegel, his former university roommate, early friend, and later rival. Interpreting Schelling's philosophy as a whole is difficult because of its apparently ever-changing nature.

Schelling's thought in the large has been neglected, especially in the English-speaking world, as has been his later work on mythology and revelation, much of which remains untranslated. There are multiple reasons for this situation. An important factor was the ascendancy of Hegel, whose mature works portray Schelling as a mere footnote in the development of idealism. Schelling's Naturphilosophie also has been attacked by scientists for its analogizing tendency and lack of empirical orientation: "its empirical claims are indefensible". In recent years, Schelling scholars have addressed both of these sources of neglect, and claimed Schelling as a rigorous thinker.