Christoph Gottfried Bardili facts for kids

Christoph Gottfried Bardili was a German philosopher who lived a long time ago, from 1761 to 1808. He was a cousin of another famous philosopher named Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling. Bardili had his own special way of thinking about philosophy. He didn't completely agree with the ideas of a very famous philosopher called Immanuel Kant. Instead, Bardili came up with his own system, which he called rational realism. This idea was all about focusing purely on "thinking as thinking."

Life of a Philosopher

Bardili was born on May 18, 1761, in a place called Blaubeuren, in what was then the Duchy of Württemberg. He started his education at a Protestant theological college in Tübingen called the Stift in 1786.

Just a few years later, in 1790, he became a professor of philosophy. He taught at the Karlsschule in Stuttgart. When that school closed in 1794, he continued teaching philosophy at the Stuttgart Gymnasium Illustre. He taught there until he passed away on June 5, 1808.

Bardili's Ideas on Thinking

Bardili had strong disagreements with Immanuel Kant, especially about how we think. Kant believed there was a difference between the "matter" (what we think about) and the "form" (how we think). Bardili, however, thought that philosophy should only focus on thought itself. He called this "pure thought." He believed this pure thought was the very basis of everything that exists.

According to Bardili, the main rule of thinking is the "law of identity." This means that logical thinking is the same as real thinking. He believed that what we think about starts out unclear, but it becomes clear and definite through the act of thinking.

Bardili developed his ideas in a very specific way. He thought that thinking didn't have its own power to grow or change. He even compared it to simple math calculations.

His Influence on Others

Even though Bardili's system didn't become super popular in Germany, his ideas were still important. The Encyclopædia Britannica (a very old and famous encyclopedia) mentioned that his ideas helped open the way for later thinkers like Schelling and Hegel. These were other big names in philosophy who came after him.

Bardili died in a town called Mergelstetten. He spent his life exploring deep questions about how we think and what reality is.

See also

In Spanish: Christoph Gottfried Bardili para niños