Alexander von Oettingen facts for kids
Alexander Konstantin von Oettingen (born December 24, 1827, died August 21, 1905) was a smart person from a region called Livonia, which is now part of Estonia. He was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian, meaning he studied religion and the church. He was also a statistician, someone who works with numbers and data.
Contents
His Life and Ideas
Early Life and Education
Alexander von Oettingen was born in a place called Wissust Manor. His family was well-known for having many scholars, like his brothers. His brother Georg von Oettingen became a professor of medicine. Another brother, Arthur von Oettingen, was a physics professor. Alexander studied at several universities, including Erlangen, Bonn, and Berlin.
A Professor and His Big Ideas
From 1854 to 1891, Oettingen was a professor at the University of Dorpat (now Tartu in Estonia). He taught about Christian beliefs. Even though his religious writings are not widely remembered today, his interest in statistics was very important.
What is Moral Statistics?
During his time, many people believed that statistics could predict almost everything about human behavior. This idea made some wonder if people truly had free will or if God had a role. Oettingen wrote a very important book in 1868 called Moralstatistik ("Moral Statistics"). In this book, he argued that while human actions show some patterns because people live together in society, individuals still have the freedom to choose. He said that statistical patterns are "never absolute," meaning they don't completely control us.
What is Social Ethics?
With his book, Oettingen also created the term and idea of Sozialethik ("Social Ethics"). He wanted to show that there could be a way to think about right and wrong that wasn't just about one person. Instead, it was about how groups of people behave. This idea of "Social Ethics" is still taught in universities today, especially in the study of Protestant religion.
His Important Books
- Die Moralstatistik. Inductiver Nachweis der Gesetzmäßigkeit sittlicher Lebensbewegung im Organismus der Menschheit. 1868.
- Die Moralstatistik und die christliche Sittenlehre. Versuch einer Socialethik auf empirischer Grundlage, vol. 1. Erlangen: Deichert. 1868.
