Philosophische Schriften

Ehrenfels’ first contribution to philosophy and psychology, published in 1886 and reprinted here, builds on Paul Du Bois-Reymond's ideas. It addresses questions he revisited thirty years later in his significant work, which he considered his Hauptwerk, reflecting a lifetime of philosophical inquiry focused on metaphysical issues. The aim of this work is to justify a hypothesis regarding the world's origin before the forum of reason, providing metaphysical foundations for a new religious worldview rooted in scientific knowledge. Ehrenfels explores how the world's origin and structure can be understood through the interplay of two fundamental principles: chaos and Gestaltung, or the production of Gestalten. Beyond developing a philosophy of religion based on his influential early work on Gestalt theory, this volume also offers notable insights into the logical and ontological interpretations of probabilistic inference and causal explanation. The edition is introduced by R. M. Chisholm and includes an updated bibliography and a complete table of contents for the four-volume set. It will interest philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, theologians, sociologists, and historians of ideas.