The diversity of German Idealist and Romantic philosophy has still to be fully appreciated in the English-speaking world. In the light of the revival of interest in the philosophy of German Idealism there is an obvious need for more translations of work from this tradition. Too much discussion of modern European philosophy still takes place on the basis of the limited number of already translated texts and therefore neglects questions posed by other texts that have as yet not been translated. F. W. J. von Schelling's Lectures On the History of Modern Philosophy, translated here for the first time, are a crucial addition to the list of works of nineteenth-century German philosophy translated into English. The Lectures are particularly valuable because they outline most of the key philosophical ideas of Schelling's later work, virtually none of which has appeared in English. The later Schelling, while remaining true to some of the aims of German Idealist philosophy, rejected central aspects of that philosophy. In so doing he was probably the first to establish many key themes in European philosophy that reappear in the work of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Levinas, Derrida, and others.

The Lectures were not published until after Schelling's death, and he did not, as far as we know, prepare a definitive version for publication. However, the distinguished Schelling scholar Horst Fuhrmans is sure that the text is authentic, even if its exact date is not certain (the date would seem to be either 1833–4 or 1836–7).