Edmund Braun

Edmund Braun, 1999

Edmund Braun (born October 12, 1928 in Cologne ; † March 20, 2015 in Lindlar - Kapellensüng ) was a German philosopher and university professor.

Braun's philosophical path began with classical Greek philosophy , especially with Aristotle , continued with a focus on the critical examination of Immanuel Kant , Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Friedrich Nietzsche and ultimately found through the philosophy of language to the transcendental pragmatic positions of Jürgen Habermas and especially Karl -Otto Apel . From the mid-1980s onwards, Braun can be clearly characterized as a representative of transcendental philosophy and transcendental pragmatics , with a special philosophical interest in linguistic, intersubjective and non-metaphysical discourse ethics .

Life path

Braun grew up in Cologne-Deutz and in the Bergisches Land . He was influenced by his parental home as a Christian Catholic and remained connected to the faith and values ​​of the church throughout his life. As a child, Braun took part in conversations and discussions among adults on theological, political and moral issues. Braun graduated from high school in Cologne-Deutz . He was spared military service because of illness.

He then studied theology at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn as well as philosophy, classical philology (Greek, Latin) and history at the University of Cologne with Karl-Heinz Volkmann-Schluck . Braun completed his studies in 1959 with his inaugural dissertation on Aristotle . This was followed by a short teaching position as a high school teacher in Cologne. He then worked as an assistant at the Pedagogical University of Rhineland (Cologne Department), where he taught as a professor of philosophy from 1971 after his habilitation. Since 1980 he has been a professor of philosophy at the University of Cologne.

Braun also held philosophical seminars at the Cologne Adult Education Center for over 50 years and was also involved. a. together with Karl Rahner in the "Academy for Adult Education Cologne in the House of Encounters" (later " Karl Rahner Academy "). After his retirement, he continued to work at Cologne University into old age. In the last years of his life, despite serious illness and almost complete blindness, he worked intensively on his old age, which he completed shortly before his death. Braun died in his house in Lindlar-Kapellensüng.

Ways of thinking

Topic and Paideia in Aristotle

In his inaugural dissertation On the Unity of the Aristotelian "Topics" <name = "Braun1959" /> Braun dealt with the question of the linguistic-philosophical roots of Aristotelian metaphysics and epistemology. After receiving his doctorate, he continued to devote himself to Aristotle research. In 1974 his book Aristotle and the Paideia was published , in which he explained the ontological and anthropological foundations as well as the ethos and the logos as areas of responsibility of the Paideia.

In the following years his special research interests were u. a. the transcendental philosophy , philosophy of language , hermeneutics and practical philosophy , i.e. ethics . Braun expressed a special bond with the basic philosophical ideas of Karl-Otto Apel (whose “pupil” he later liked to call himself) by dedicating his book to Apel, “Man before his own claim”.

The paradigm shift in the philosophy of language

Braun's language-pragmatic analyzes culminated in his first major work in 1996, The Paradigm Shift in Philosophy of Language . In this work, Braun examines language in terms of the history of philosophy. He starts with the classical language paradigm of Plato by referring to the importance of the impact of the understanding of language in antiquity on the formation of the following classical language paradigm. Braun also cited Aristotle's criticism of language against Plato. Braun pointed out that the current Aristotle literature interpreted "language consistently in the sense of the classical conception as a secondary expression of thought". He countered this with his interpretation, according to which, according to Aristotle, the power of the dialectical method on the basis of the argumentation and the dialogical community of those who argue meaningfully with one another and against one another is decisive for finding the truth. Braun translated the Aristotelian definition of the human being as ζωον πολιτικον ( Zoon politikon ) with “the living being dependent on community” and thus also dependent on dialogical community in the process of knowledge and truth finding. However, precisely because of his talent for reason, man is not dependent on community, since he can be wise and reasonable for himself even in a solipsistic vision. Since Aristotle was unable to solve the problem between practical and theoretical life in a satisfactory manner, the ancient understanding of language, from which the classical language paradigm, which can still be proven today, was derived, came about .

From here Braun drew a link with Apel's transcendental pragmatics, according to which the dialogical claim to knowledge and truth is subject to four universal claims to validity: claim to comprehensibility, claim to truth, claim to correctness and claim to truthfulness.

In detail, Braun proceeded as follows: In the first part of the work he explains the “classical language paradigm”, beginning with “language thinking in early Greek philosophy” (Heraklit, Parmenides), via the “classical language paradigm” (Plato, Aristotle, J. Locke, GW Leibniz), up to the “language criticism of the classical language paradigm” (Aristotle, Isocrates , Cicero , Böhme , Vico , Hamann , Herder , W. v. Humboldt ). In the second part he deals with the “paradigm shift in the philosophy of language in the 20th century”. Here he deals with numerous philosophical directions from important philosophers such as Peirce , Morris , Frege , Russell , Moore , Wittgenstein , Carnap , Ryle , Austin , Searle , Strawson . de Saussure , Chomsky , Bühler , Hönigswald , Cassirer , Litt , Heintel , Heidegger , Lipps , Lorenzen , K. Lorenz , Quine , Davidson , Rorty , Habermas and Apel. A detailed section followed with selected texts on his explications. The texts by Aristotle, Isocrates and Cicero have been newly translated by Braun especially for this work.

Man before his own claim

In 2002, Braun's second major work was published under the title Man in front of his own claim / morality as a critical-normative orientation force in the age of post-traditional society . On the basis of a normative anthropology against the background of a transcendental-pragmatic discourse ethics, he summarized the contents as follows:

• “In the first chapter, the human life situation is analyzed and it is shown that reflexive anthropological insights are not descriptive but normative in nature, that as normative they point people in the direction of shaping a meaningful and livable life.
• The second chapter deals with the constitutive connection between reason and language. It proves that language cannot be thematised as a contingent fact from the outside, but as the constitution of reason takes place exclusively in the inevitable communicative discourse, which represents an inevitable condition of life for people.
• The third chapter tries to show the normative principle of generalized dialogical reciprocity as an anthropologically founded basic principle, insofar as it is anchored in the essential characteristic of the rational characterization of language.
• The fourth chapter develops a new understanding of morality. New in the sense that it stands out from tradition in that it seeks to uncover the morality that has been buried by tradition and which is becoming a vital element for people in post-traditional and open society.
• The fifth chapter shows the necessity of applying the new moral understanding in paradigmatic areas of society.
• In view of the new understanding of morality, the sixth chapter asks whether the thesis that the individual's conscience is the final decision-making authority can still be defended.
• The seventh chapter deals with the field of science in view of the threat to humanity and seeks to demonstrate that the understanding of science in the future must be characterized by the compatibility of scientific criteria and ethical norms.
• The eighth chapter contains a plea for the transcendental-pragmatic discourse ethics.
• The epilogue attempts to discuss future-oriented pedagogical consequences that are of fundamental importance for the living conditions of today's open society. "

Future: the problem of the present

Braun's work Future: The Problem of the Present / Discourse Ethical Contributions to Pending Problems on a World Scale , which was published in 2008, takes up the ideas of his work from 2002 and once again propagates the need for collective and compulsory argumentative discourse and its importance with regard to the preservation of human dignity and Human rights within a humane society and a humane community of values.

After he again called for an appropriate use of reason as a discourse rationality against an epidemically stunted rationality, Braun takes a different path than in his work from 2002, in that he offers solutions to outstanding and future problems. In detail these are:

• The problem of the validity of social practice / normative cooperation and coordination services to be provided to identify and solve upcoming problems
• The renaissance of natural law / future problems cannot be solved by applying natural law
• The problem of globalization / the possibility and necessity of a cosmopolitan community of values
• The problem of intercultural understanding / dialogical understanding and cultural tolerance
• Religion as a future problem / religion according to the message of God's death?! (Braun explains the question mark and exclamation mark in the chapter “Nietzsche - Interpretation of the message of God's death” as follows: “I take the exclamation mark and the question mark after the title of the chapter in the sense of the question: Is the death of God the prerequisite or at least one the essential prerequisites for the future of religion as a true correlation between man and God , or is the death of God the prerequisite for man himself to be the origin of all meaning and value and finally to have the longed-for freedom to design his own being, to create to realize one's own greatness without religion against God? ")
• The problem of the protection of life / problems of the beginning and the end of life
• The problem of human self-enlightenment / The necessity of the historical dimension for human identity

Ethics as prima philosophia from the basic position of a non-metaphysical transcendental philosophy

Also in 2008 the short treatise Ethics was published as prima philosophia from the basic position of a non-metaphysical transcendental philosophy. It is an attempt to identify ethics as prima philosophia in the context of a post-metaphysical, transcendental philosophical understanding of rationality . “From its inception, philosophy has been understood as a science of principles. Thus, according to Aristotle, the first philosophy designates the beginning of theoretical philosophy in general, insofar as it asks about the principles of beings as a whole - and the principles of science - before all further determinations. As such, metaphysics was the first philosophy and that of Aristotle's so-called second philosophy. In modern times, the term prima philosophia has undergone an essential reinterpretation: Descartes understands philosophy as the first philosophy in the sense of studying the perfect knowledge of what man can know, and for Kant first philosophy means knowledge from pure reason as a condition of its possibility, for Husserl it is the science of transcendental subjectivity. According to this universal understanding, ethics was not understood as the first philosophy. ”Today, only practical philosophy, as a transcendental-pragmatic discourse ethics, can be elevated to the rank of prima philosophia. Here the discourse-reflective discourse of the highest level becomes an ethical authority. Braun tries to prove this validation of ethics as prima philosophia - beyond the pressing social necessity.

Man before God's claim

Braun's old work was Man before the claim of God / religion - the challenge of the 21st century . In terms of content, it is an extension of his work from 2002 "Man before his own claim / morality as a critical-normative orientation force in the age of post-traditional society".

This work postulates the necessity of religion for the secularized western world and wants to motivate to deal with the existential topic of transcendence, up to and including God as the highest transcendence. "Traces left worldwide lead to the conviction that there was no culture without the idea of ​​the existence of supra-worldly powers." The book deals with the question of man's own relationship to religion and relies on a comprehensive delimitation , both for the target audience also the subject matter and the method. Everyone, regardless of nation, religion or worldview and profession, is responsible for the success of the common discourse. Without a preference for a certain religion, it is about an authentic decision that can be made without arrogance and ignorance. The fulfillment of this global, even universal claim, turns out to be a time-enduring obligation of humanity, and thus of every single human being, on a global scale.

The proof , not the impossible proof of God, should not be theologically, but consistently through a comprehensible philosophical discourse at eye level. The normative implications of the book also result from the double meaning of “ claim” , which is already hinted at in the title. Only on the basis of a global discourse on transcendental-trained reason and by the competence which arises from the reportedly At -spruchs the highest transcendence and from the steady pursuit, these as ethical claim redeem, could succeed mankind, the global problems of our Time to meet appropriately.

Chapter 4 is entitled "Transcendence of the Highest Level - An Attempt at Approach". The approach, yes, the encounter with the "transcendence of the highest level ... consists in the exceeding comprehension of everything finite and infinite of the problems, which are overcome by it to something new, higher, including itself". This highest transcendence can "be defined neither outwardly nor inwardly, so it shows itself in its fullness completely in its withdrawal." Nevertheless, the attempt to approach the infinite can be identified by at least nine points of view:

1. In contrast to all other transcendent references, which remain unsatisfied, it is fulfilled in the perfect infinite movement over everything, contradicting itself, including itself.
2. It is the greatest level of transcendence because it is the only one to overcome everything.
3. It is the only, singular level of transcendence because it has no outside.
4. It is the only one absolute , because it is detached from any relation.
5. It is infinite because it remains incomprehensible at all.
6. As infinite, it is also the perfect level of transcendence.
7. It is the most perfect level of transcendence because it includes the maximum of certainty that encompasses all possibilities.
8. It is totally different because it rules out any comparison.
9. It can not be objectified because, in constant withdrawal, it presents itself as infinite.

In the further course, Braun deals with the transformation of the transcendent, which gains three cognitive advances:

• to be able to walk the path of the absolute,
• to understand and assess one's life situation from the perspective of the absolute,
• to be able to implement these insights.

"With the effort of the transcendent to start a conversation with the highest transcendence, he encounters the reality of the highest transcendence, which we call God."

This leads Braun to the truth claim of religions : “The truth claim of every religion must be taken seriously, whereby one has to differentiate between claiming and redeeming it. When it comes to the problem of truth, it is about redemption. ”According to Braun, Plato's concept of truth is no longer valid. The post-metaphysical concept of truth takes its place. Here Braun distinguishes between a transitory concept of truth as a justification with the possibility that every sentence can be wrong, and the absolute, timeless truth, which is borne by an unsurpassable consensus of the universal communication community.

At the end of the book, terms such as “experience of God in his word” , “revelation” and “apocalypse” are used as expressions of his consistently Christian way of life and theological studies.

Fonts (selection)

Braun's work includes numerous monographs, editions, translations, essays, articles and commemorative publications.

Monographs

• To the unity of the Aristotelian "Topik". Dissertation to obtain a doctorate from the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Cologne, Cologne 1959.
• Society as a political mandate . The limits of technology, domination and freedom, the end of morality? Conflict u. Solidarity. Youth and Politics, Graz 1977.
• with Hans Radermacher: Philosophical of Science Lexicon . Graz, u. a. 1987, ISBN 3-222-10953-2 .
• with Hans Rudolf Becher: General instruction / basics of a didactic theory of general instruction in elementary school with practical examples . Part 3, (= series of study books; 5), Kulmbach 1981.
• also as publisher: Post-metaphysical philosophy . [Lecture series of the Karl Rahner Academy in the academic year 1989/1990], Karl-Otto Apel, Edmund Braun, Odo Marquard, (Selected Lectures / Karl Rahner Academy, 1990-05-16), Cologne 1990.
• What can discourse ethics contribute to the discussion about the right to life and the protection of life? . [Lecture at the Philosophical Forum, held on May 19, 1993]. Karl Rahner Academy, Cologne 1993.
• Mutuality as a constitutive element of the future . Lecture from May 22, 1996. Philosophical Forum 95/96 Mutuality - Claim and Recognition. Karl Rahner Academy, Cologne 1996. p. 2.
• The need for morality in the open society . In: The moral need of the open society. Karl Rahner Academy, Cologne 1997.
• Plea for discourse ethics . On the universality and contingency of discourse ethics . Karl Rahner Academy, Cologne 1998.
• also as publisher: Research before ethics? / On the freedom from values ​​of science . Karl Rahner Academy. (Selected lectures), Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-9806702-1-X .
• Man in front of his own claim / morality as a critical-normative orientation force in the age of post-traditional society . Würzburg 2002, ISBN 3-8260-2183-5 .
• Future: the problem of the present / discourse ethical contributions to upcoming problems on a world scale . (= Philosophical Pleadings; 10). Berlin u. a. 2008, ISBN 978-3-8258-1091-7 .
• Man before God's claim / religion - the challenge of the 21st century . Würzburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-8260-6068-7 .

Editions, translations, collaboration

• as publisher: Johann Gottlieb Fichte: About the concept of science or so-called philosophy . With an introduction by Edmund Braun, (= Reclams Universal-Bibliothek; No. 9348/9349), Stuttgart 1972.
• Aristotle and the Paideia . Acquired and translated by Edmund Braun, (Schöningh's collection of educational writings: Sources for historical, empirical and comparative educational science), Paderborn 1974, ISBN 3-506-78067-0 .
• as editor: Nietzsche / The self-constitution of man . Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, Acquired by Edmund Braun, Schöningh, Paderborn 1980, ISBN 3-506-78371-8 .
• as editor: Enlightenment today. [Lecture series of the Karl Rahner Academy in the academic year 1990/1991]. With contributions by Edmund Braun, Willi Oelmüller, Herbert Schnädelbach, (Selected Lectures / Karl Rahner Academy, May 8, 1991), Cologne 1991.
• also as publisher: The future of reason from the perspective of a non-metaphysical philosophy . With contributions by Odo Marquard, Peter Rech, Karl-Otto Apel, Edmund Braun, Willi Oelmüller, Thomas Gil, Wolfgang Kuhlmann, Holger Burckhart, Volker Gerhardt, Claudius Strube. Königshausen and Neumann, Würzburg 1993, ISBN 3-88479-824-3 .
• also as publisher: The paradigm shift in the philosophy of language . Studies and texts. Knowledge Buchges., Darmstadt 1996, ISBN 3-534-13177-0 .

literature

• Holger Burckhart (ed.): Discourse on language / An interdisciplinary symposium for Edmund Braun . Festschrift for Edmund Braun on his 65th birthday. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1994, ISBN 3-88479-893-6 .

Remarks

1. ↑ In 1976, Apel's work "Transformation of Philosophy" appeared in two volumes. For Braun, this work introduced the approach to transcendental pragmatics, which he developed into a representative in the following years.
2. ↑ Edmund Braun. (2008). Future: the problem of the present. P. 38
3. ↑ Edmund Braun: On the unity of the Aristotelian "Topik" . Dissertation, University of Cologne, Cologne 1959.
4. ↑ Cf. Why philosophy in adult education? , in: The Volkshochschule Köln from 1946 to 1980, commemorative publication for the 65th birthday of Heinz Stragholz on March 19, 1980 / [ Ed .: Friends and sponsors of the Kölner Volkshochschule e. V. Red .: Bernd Hambüchen], Cologne 1980. S. 205 ff.
5. ↑ See e.g. B. The Need for Morality in the Open Society , in: The Moral Need of the Open Society . Karl Rahner Academy, Cologne 1997.
6. ↑ Edmund Braun. (2016). Man before God's claim. Religion - the challenge of the 21st century.
7. ↑ Stefan Grohé. Dean of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Cologne. On the death of Prof. Dr. Edmund Braun (1928–2015), 2015 Cologne.
8. ↑ Edmund Braun. (1974). Aristotle and the Paideia. Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn.
9. ↑ The Greek word "Paideia" (paideia) is usually translated as "education". Braun points out that “it was not until Greek thought, around the second half of the fifth century [v. Chr. Chr.], ... 'a rational consciousness of upbringing' [awakened] "- with reference to Ernst Lichtenstein, The origin of pedagogy in Greek thinking, Hanover 1970, p. 31. (Braun, 1974, p. 107)
10. ↑ Edmund Braun. (2002). Man before his own claim. P. 5
11. ↑ Edmund Braun: The paradigm shift in the philosophy of language . Scientific Book Society, 1996.
12. ↑ Braun, 1996, p. 8
13. ↑ Edmund Braun. (1996b). Mutuality as a constitutive element of reason. Lecture from May 22, 1996. Philosophical Forum 95/96 Mutuality - Claim and Recognition. Cologne: Karl Rahner Academy. P. 2.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Braun, 1996, p. 15
15. ↑ Braun, 1996, p. 17
16. ↑ Hermann-Josef Spicher: Basics of common teaching , plus Prolegomena to an integration didactic conception, Cologne, Uni., Diss., Verlag Mainz, Wissenschaftsverlag, Aachen 1998, ISBN 3-89653-379-7 , p. 40.
17. ↑ Braun, 1996, p. 64. Reference: Apel, K.-O., Is intentionality more fundamental than linguistic meaning ?, in: Intentionality and Understanding, ed. from the Forum for Philosophy Bad Homburg, Frankfurt a. M. 1990, p. 39 ff.
18. ↑ Braun, 2002, p. 17 f.
19. ↑ Edmund Braun, Future: The Problem of the Present, Discourse Ethical Contributions to Pending Problems on a World Scale, (Philosophical Pleadings; 10), Berlin a. a. 2008.
20. ↑ Braun, 2008, p. 9
21. ↑ Braun, 2008, p. 74
22. ↑ See Braun, 2008, p. 17 ff.
23. ↑ Braun, 2008, p. 96
24. ↑ Edmund Braun: Ethics as prima philosophia from the basic position of a non-metaphysical transcendental philosophy . In: Existence and Science. Festschrift for Claudius Strube , Marcus Andreas Born (Ed.), Würzburg 2008a. Pp. 271-284.
25. ↑ ^{a b} Braun, 2008a, p. 271
26. ↑ See Braun, 2008a, p. 280
27. ↑ ^{a b c} Braun, 2016, p. 11
28. ↑ With recourse to Braun, 2016, cover text
29. ↑ Braun, 2016, p. 105
30. ↑ Braun, 2016, p. 114
31. ↑ The list of publications was compiled by Manfred Bauer, Rebecca Rundholz, Ulrike Kropff and Dr. Hermann-Josef Spicher.