Eduard von Hartmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eduard von Hartmann
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Von Hartmann in 1885
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| Born |
Karl Robert Eduard Hartmann
23 February 1842 |
| Died | 5 June 1906 (aged 64) |
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Notable work
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Philosophy of the Unconscious (1869) |
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Agnes Taubert
(m. 1872; died 1877)Alma Lorenz
(m. 1878) |
| Era | 19th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
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Main interests
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Notable ideas
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Influenced
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Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann (born February 23, 1842 – died June 5, 1906) was a German philosopher. He was also an independent scholar, meaning he studied and wrote on his own. He is famous for his book Philosophy of the Unconscious, published in 1869.
Some of his main ideas include his theory of the Unconscious. He also had a pessimistic (meaning he believed life had more suffering than happiness) view of the idea that this is the "best of all possible worlds".
Contents
About Eduard von Hartmann
Eduard von Hartmann was born in Berlin. His father was a Prussian Major General. Eduard was first trained to become a soldier. In 1858, he joined the Guards Artillery Regiment of the Prussian Army. He also went to the United Artillery and Engineering School.
He became a first lieutenant. However, in 1865, he had to leave the army because of a long-term knee problem. After thinking about whether to study music or philosophy, he chose philosophy. In 1867, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Rostock. He officially left the army in 1868.
His first book, Philosophy of the Unconscious, was very successful in 1869. Because of this success, universities like Leipzig, Göttingen, and Berlin offered him jobs as a professor. But he turned them down.
He went back to Berlin and lived a quiet life of study. He often worked from his bed because he was in a lot of pain.
Von Hartmann married Agnes Taubert in 1872. After she passed away in 1877, he married Alma Lorenz in 1878. He had six children from his marriages.
He died in 1906 in Groß-Lichterfelde and is buried in an honorary grave in Berlin.
His Ideas on Philosophy
Eduard von Hartmann became well-known as a philosopher because of his first book, Philosophy of the Unconscious. This book was popular for several reasons. It had an interesting title and covered many different topics. He tried to use scientific methods to explain his ideas, and he used many real-life examples. His ideas also fit with the popular pessimistic mood of the time. Plus, he wrote in a clear and strong style.
His main idea was about the "Unconscious". This wasn't as strange as it sounds. For him, the Unconscious was the basic, all-encompassing force behind everything that exists. He believed the Unconscious had two main parts: Will and Reason (or Idea).
He thought that the "Will" was the main part of the Unconscious. The Will is like a blind force that wants to do things. The "Reason" (or Idea) is the logical part. The universe exists because of this illogical Will, but its rules and features come from the logical Reason.
He believed that the world, even with all its problems, is the "best of all possible worlds". This is because it has the potential for the Unconscious to escape its suffering. This would happen when Reason and Will work together in people who understand this idea.
Von Hartmann believed that human history follows the ideas of evolution. As humans developed, consciousness grew. He thought that only humans could act independently of the Will. As people become more aware, they will realize that true freedom comes from returning to a state of "non-willing." This means that all individuals would stop existing, and the Unconscious would return to its original, quiet state.
He called his philosophy "transcendental realism." This means he believed he could use observations from the real world to understand things beyond our direct experience. For example, our perceptions (what we see, hear, feel) happen without our control. This suggests that things exist outside of our own minds. These outside things affect our consciousness, so they must have certain qualities. He saw Causality (cause and effect) as the link between our inner thoughts and the outer world.
By looking at things like instinct, how we move, and how art is made, he concluded that Will and Idea (or Reason) are always at work, even unconsciously. He believed this underlying force is one, not many. This force, the Unconscious, has two equal parts: Will and Idea (Reason).
Von Hartmann's ideas combine parts of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's and Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophies. He thought both were wrong to make one part (Will or Idea) less important than the other. Instead, he believed neither could act alone. The Will's lack of logic causes the world to exist. The Idea or Reason, even if not conscious, is logical and shapes what the world is like.
He was a pessimist because he believed suffering is a necessary part of existence and can only end when existence itself ends. However, he wasn't completely without hope. He thought that while individual happiness might not be possible, humans could eventually free the Unconscious from its suffering. Unlike Schopenhauer, he believed this "salvation" would come from a collective effort of society, not just individuals.
His ideas on ethics (moral rules) were based on this. He thought we should accept life for now and work towards social progress. This is because trying to find personal happiness is impossible. By focusing on morality and working together, life becomes less unhappy. He believed all forms of selfishness were wrong.
A key part of his morality was the idea that everything is connected. Even if happiness is an illusion, we must fully experience all forms of this illusion before true freedom can happen. He believed that by constantly trying to find happiness, people would eventually learn that "nothingness" is the most desirable state. When enough people realize this, the world will end, and the Unconscious will find peace.
He saw a connection between philosophy and religion. Both, he thought, recognize a deeper unity behind all the differences we see. He believed that religions would need to change to fit modern times, leading to a future religion based on a single, unified view of everything.
While his Philosophy of the Unconscious was very influential when it first came out, its direct impact lessened over time. However, some people see his ideas as a link between Schopenhauer's philosophy of the 'Will' and Sigmund Freud's ideas about the 'unconscious' mind. His work also helped connect post-Kantian ideas about Will with the Zürich school of psychology (which includes thinkers like Carl Jung).
His Writings
Eduard von Hartmann wrote many books and articles, totaling over 12,000 pages! His works can be grouped into different types:
Systematic Works
These books explain his main philosophical system and ideas.
- Das Ding an sich und seine Beschaffenheit ("The thing in itself and its nature", 1871)
- Grundprobleme der Erkenntnistheorie ("Fundamental problems of epistemology", 1889)
- Kategorienlehre ("Doctrine of the Categories", 1896)
- Phänomenologie des sittlichen Bewußtseins ("Phenomenology of Moral Consciousness", 1879)
- Die Philosophie des Schönen ("'The Philosophy of the Beautiful", 1887)
- Die Religion des Geistes ("The Religion of the Spirit"; 1882)
- Philosophie des Unbewussten ("Philosophy of the Unconscious", 3 vols., English translation by William Chatterton Coupland, 1884)
- System der Philosophie im Grundriss, ("Plan for a System of Philosophy", 8 vols, 1907–09: published after his death)
- Beiträge zur Naturphilosophie ("Contributions to Natural Philosophy", 1876)
Historical and Critical Works
These writings looked at the history of philosophy and offered critiques of other thinkers.
- Das religiöse Bewusstsein der Menschheit (The Religious Consciousness of Mankind in the Stages of Its Development; 1881)
- Geschichte der Metaphysik (2 vols.)
- Kants Erkenntnistheorie
- Kritische Grundlegung des transcendentalen Realismus (Critical Grounds of Transcendental Realism)
- Uber die dialektische Methode
- Lotzes Philosophie (1888) (a study on Hermann Lotze)
- Zur Geschichte und Begründung des Pessimismus (1880)
- Neukantianismus, Schopenhauerismus, Hegelianismus
- Geschichte der deutschen Ästhetik und Kant
- Die Krisis des Christentums in der modernen Theologie (The Crisis of Christianity in Modern Theology; 1880)
- Philosophische Fragen der Gegenwart
- Ethische Studien
- Aesthetik (1886–87)
- Moderne Psychologie
- Das Christentum des neuen Testaments
- Die Weltanschauung der modernen Physik
- Wahrheit und Irrthum im Darwinismus (1875)
- Zur Reform des höheren Schulwesens (1875)
Popular Works
These books were written for a wider audience.
- Aphorismen über das Drama (1870)
- Shakespeares Romeo und Juliet (1875)
- Soziale Kernfragen (The Fundamental Social Questions; 1894)
- Moderne Probleme
- Tagesfragen
- Zwei Jahrzehnte deutscher Politik und die gegenwärtige Weltlage (1888)
- Das Judentum in Gegenwart und Zukunft (Judaism in the Present and the Future; 1885)
- Die Selbstzersetzung des Christentums und die Religion der Zukunft (1874)
- Gesammelte Studien
- Der Spiritismus (1885)
- Die Geisterhypothese des Spiritismus (The Ghost Theory in Spiritism; 1891)
- Zur Zeitgeschichte
His selected works were published in 10 volumes.
Images for kids
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Wood engraving of Von Hartmann, around 1875
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Von Hartmann in 1902
See also
In Spanish: Eduard von Hartmann para niños
