Hans Meyerhoff

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hans Meyerhoff (born December 1, 1914 in Braunschweig , † November 20, 1965 in Los Angeles ) was an American philosopher of German origin.

Life

Meyerhoff was the son of the manufacturer Theodor Meyerhoff, owner of the Derenburger canning factory , and Dorothea Meyerhoff-Guttstadt. In 1934 he passed the Abitur examination at the Wilhelm Gymnasium in Braunschweig. Since he was not allowed to study as a Jew in Germany, he emigrated to the USA. He first studied German at the University of California (UCLA) in Los Angeles , graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1936 and a master's degree in 1938. He then turned to philosophy and became an assistant to Bertrand Russell ; In 1942 he received his Ph. D.

Immediately thereafter he entered the service of the federal government and in 1943 the US Army. He worked there like many intellectuals from Europe, e. B. Herbert Marcuse , for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). In 1948 he became a philosophy professor at UCLA.

In addition to his own cultural, socially critical and philosophical works, he translated works by the Graecist Paul Friedländer into English. Meyerhoff was politically involved z. B. for equal rights for blacks and against the Vietnam War.

In 1962 he came to Germany and was visiting professor at the University of Bonn for two years . In 1963 he married Mary Howard, in 1964 their daughter Miriam was born. On November 20, 1965, he died as a result of a traffic accident.

Works (selection)

  • Thoughts on the German situation. In: Confession to Ernst Wiechert - A memorial book for the 60th birthday of the poet. Munich 1947, pp. 39-46 ( ernst-wiechert.de PDF).
  • (Ed.): The Philosophy Of History In Our Time: An Anthology Selected, and with an Introduction and Commentary by Hans Meyerhoff. Garden City Publishing House, 1959.
  • Lost games. Braunschweig / Los Angeles 1933–1963. (Poetry), Waisenhaus Verlag, Braunschweig 1963, OCLC 8865203 .

literature

  • Gilbert Holzgang: Hans Meyerhoff. 1914-1965. Philosopher. In: Working group other history (ed.): Braunschweiger personalities of the 20th century. döringDRUCK, Braunschweig 2012, ISBN 978-3-925268-42-7 , pp. 176-179.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alexandra Kemmerer: Review by Tim B. Müller: Warriors and Scholars - Herbert Marcuse and the thought systems in the Cold War. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Meyerhoff, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American philosopher of German origin
DATE OF BIRTH December 1, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Braunschweig
DATE OF DEATH November 20, 1965
Place of death los Angeles