The German philosopher, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, has long been recognized as an important and original figure in the history of philosophy and Western thought and as a seminal influence upon the Romantic tradition. This book focuses on Fichte's contributions in political theory as set out in his Foundations of Natural Right. The essays, which examine such issues as Fichte as a social contract theorist, his theory of gender relations and his theories on punishment and the criminal law among many other topics, remedy what has been a striking lacuna in the existing scholarly literature.

?What is interesting about this collection is that all the articles are truly essayistic. They single out certain issues in the theory of natural rights, issues that open up the text for further research. As such it gives testimony to the quite wonderful resurgence in Fichte studies. ... Though we have not yet seen a comprehensive study on Foundations of Natural Right appear in the English language, this collection will serve to inspire someone to such a work.? Philosophy in Review