ich he
belonged, and in consequence was, during the last three years of his life,
interdicted from lecturing on the philosophy of religion. He died on the
23rd of May 1841.

It is difficult to summarize Baader's philosophy, for he himself generally
gave expression to his deepest thoughts in obscure aphorisms, or mystical
symbols and analogies (see Ed. Zeller's _Ges. d. deut. Phil._ 732, 736).
Further, he has no systematic works; his doctrines exist for the most part
in short detached essays, in comments on the writings of Boehme and Saint
Martin, or in his extensive correspondence and journals. At the same time
there are salient points which mark the outline of his thought. Baader
starts from the position that human reason by itself can never reach the
end it aims at, and maintains that we cannot throw aside the
presuppositions of faith, church and tradition. His point of view may be
described as Scholasticism; for, like the scholastic doctors, he believes
that theology and philosophy are not opposed sciences, but that reason has
to make clear the truths given by authority and revelation. But in his
attempt to draw still closer the realms of faith and knowledge he
approaches more nearly to the mysticism of Eckhart, Paracelsus and Boehme.
Our existence depends on the fact that we are cognized by God (_cogitor
ergo cogito et sum_). All self-consciousness is at the same time
God-consciousness; our knowledge is never mere _scientia_, it is invariably
_con-scientia_--a knowing with, consciousness of, or participation in God.
Baader's philosophy is thus essentially a theosophy. God is not to be
conceived as mere abstract Being (_substantia_), but as everlasting
process, activity (_actus_). Of this process, this self-generation of God,
we may distinguish two aspects--the immanent or esoteric, and the emanent
or exoteric. God has reality only in so far as He is absolute spirit, and
only in so far as the primitive will is conscious of itself can it become
spirit at all. But in this very cognition of self is involved the
distinction of knower and known, from which proceeds the power to become
spirit. This immanent process of self-consciousness, wherein indeed a
trinity of persons is not given but only rendered possible, is mirrored in,
and takes place through, the eternal and impersonal idea or wisdom of God,
which exists beside, though not distinct from, the primitive will. Concrete
reality or personality is given to this divine