Friedrich Wilhelm Josef von Schelling (1775–1854) was a follower and eventually a critic of Fichte, as is often the case in the history of mentor and protégé relations.

He never fulfilled his potential as a philosopher and was forever overshadowed by Hegel, whom he accused of stealing his ideas. He was an Idealist sandwiched between two more prominent and influential contemporaries who got lost in the Idealist shuffle. In his later years, after Hegel's death, he had one brief shining moment in the spotlight, and one of his students, Kierkegaard, went on to have a successful career as a philosopher.