Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814) burst onto the German philosophical scene in 1792 (the same year in which Aenesidemus appeared) with the publication of An Attempt at a Critique of All Revelation. The essay, which develops Kantian themes in the philosophy of religion, was first printed anonymously, and the public initially assumed that it had been written by Kant himself, who had in fact approved the piece in advance and helped to get it published, harbouring hopes that the young Fichte would prove to be a worthy champion of transcendental idealism. When Fichte's authorship became known he was immediately accorded an elevated status in the intellectual community. In 1793 he published two political essays (“Reclamation of the Freedom of Thought from the Princes of Europe, Who Have Oppressed It Until Now” and “Contribution to the Rectification of the Public's Judgment of the French Revolution”) that further established his commitment to freedom and his willingness to espouse controversial views, even at the risk of angering powerful authorities.

In 1794, at the age of thirty-two, Fichte was named to replace Reinhold in the prestigious chair of philosophy at the University of Jena, and at the same time he also assumed Reinhold's mantle as the most prominent defender of the critical philosophy. His first important contribution to the ongoing methodological debates was a review of Aenesidemus, which appeared in February. This was followed several months later by Fichte's first presentation of his own approach to philosophy, and especially to the foundational issues raised by Jacobi, Reinhold and Schulze.