Eduard von Hartmann
Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann (23 February 1842 – 5 June 1906) was a German philosopher, independent scholar and author of Philosophy of the Unconscious (1869). His notable ideas include the theory of the Unconscious and a pessimistic interpretation of the "best of all possible worlds" concept in metaphysics.
Eduard von Hartmann
5 June 1906 (aged 64)
- United Artillery and Engineering School
- University of Rostock (Ph.D., 1867)
6
Robert von Hartmann (father)
- Theory of the Unconscious (Reason and Will are irreducible to each other)
- Pessimistic interpretation of the "Best of all possible worlds" theory
Biography[edit]
Von Hartmann was born in Berlin, the son of Prussian Major General Robert von Hartmann and was educated with the intention of him pursuing a military career. In 1858 he entered the Guards Artillery Regiment of the Prussian Army and attended the United Artillery and Engineering School. He achieved the rank of first lieutenant but took leave from the army in 1865 due to a chronic knee problem. After some hesitation between pursuing music or philosophy, he decided to make the latter his profession, and in 1867 earned his Ph.D. from the University of Rostock. In 1868 he formally resigned from the army.[5] After the great success of his first work Philosophy of the Unconscious (1869)—the publication of which led to Von Hartmann being embroiled in the pessimism controversy in Germany[6][7]—he rejected professorships offered to him by the universities of Leipzig, Göttingen and Berlin.[5]
He subsequently returned to Berlin.[8] For many years, he lived a retired life of study as an independent scholar,[9] doing most of his work in bed, while suffering great pain.[10]
Von Hartmann married Agnes Taubert (1844–1877) on 3 July 1872 in Charlottenburg. After her death, he married Alma Lorenz (1854–1931) on 4 November 1878 in Bremen. The marriages produced six children.[11]
He died at Groß-Lichterfelde in 1906[8] and is buried in an honorary grave in the Columbiadamm Cemetery in Berlin.[12]