Johann August Eberhard

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Johann August Eberhard

Johann August Eberhard (also: Eberhardt ; born August 31, 1739 in Halberstadt ; † January 6, 1809 in Berlin ) was a German philosopher .

Life

Eberhard studied theology , philosophy and classical philology in Halle . In 1763 he became vice rector at the grammar school and preacher, in 1774 preacher in Charlottenburg . He came into close contact with the Berlin Enlightenment, especially Friedrich Nicolai and Moses Mendelssohn .

His first publication appeared in 1772, New Apology of Socrates , or Study of the Bliss of the Gentiles , of which an increased edition appeared in 1773. Here, in the name of a rational belief system, he criticized dogmas of orthodox theology, including the doctrine of the collective damnation of pagans and the doctrine of eternal punishment from hell. Eberhard based himself on the philosophy of Leibniz and Christian Wolff throughout his life , but at the same time criticizes Leibniz's theodicy in this work because of the thesis of eternal damnation. In 1773 Lessing accused Eberhard of having misunderstood Leibniz in two essays ( Leibniz about the eternal punishments and Des Andreas Wissowatius' objections against the Trinity ); Eberhard responded to this in 1778 with a second volume by Socrates .

In 1776 Eberhard published the book General Theory of Thinking and Sensing , which was awarded the prize of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin that same year. Mainly because of the success of this font, Eberhard was appointed professor of philosophy at the most important Prussian university at the time, the University of Halle . Eberhard thus succeeded Georg Friedrich Meier, who in turn succeeded Christian Wolff; Kant had previously refused the call to Halle. Eberhard became one of the most important representatives of Leibniz-Wolffian philosophy (the “Hallesche Schulphilosophie”) and published writings on all areas of philosophy: on rational theology, moral philosophy, aesthetics, epistemology, the history of philosophy. In 1786 he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin.

Eberhard was also a member of the Halberstadt Literary Society, which existed from 1785 to 1810 .

In 1789 Eberhard published a series of seven essays on Kant's Critique of Pure Reason , in which he defended Leibniz-Wolffian philosophy against Kant's attacks. He criticized Kant's view of the limitations of theoretical knowledge and tried to show that the truth of Kant's philosophy could already be found in Leibniz. Kant responded to this in 1790 with the work About a Discovery, according to which all new criticisms of pure reason are to be dispensed with by an older one .

When in 1797 a work by Kant was rejected by the Berlin censorship authority ( renewed question as to whether the human race is constantly advancing for the better ), Eberhard pleaded in an expert opinion from 1798 for the unabridged publication (Kant published the text in the same year as the second section the dispute between the faculties ). Eberhard also defended Fichte against the charge of atheism in the so-called atheism controversy in 1799, namely with the writings About the God of Prof. Fichte and the idols of his opponents as well as an attempt to precisely determine the point of dispute between Prof. Fichte and his opponents . In his defense, Eberhard also criticized Fichte's philosophy - because of the separation of cognitive faculties - which is why Fichte defended himself against Eberhard's defense.

In addition to Leibniz, Christian Wolff and Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, Eberhard's views were influenced by the Berlin Enlightenmentists Moses Mendelssohn and Friedrich Nicolai , who also wrote a memorial (Berlin 1810) on him.

Eberhard's most famous pupil was Friedrich Schleiermacher .

Works (selection)

  • New Apology of Socrates or investigation of the doctrine of the bliss of the heathen , Berlin: 1776–78. Hildesheim: Olms, reprint of the Berlin, Stettin, Nicolai edition. Edited by Walter Sparn.
  • Preparation for natural theology (Halle, 1781).
  • Moral doctrine of reason (Berlin 1781, 2nd edition 1786). Reprint Frankfurt am Main: Athenäum-Verlag 1971.
  • Theory of Fine Arts and Sciences (Berlin 1783, 3rd ed. 1790);
  • General history of philosophy (Berlin 1788, 2nd edition 1796) ( digitized version )
  • Aesthetic handbook for educated readers from all backgrounds . (Hall 1803–1805, 4 vol .; 2nd edition 1807–20);
  • The spirit of early Christianity . (Hall 1807–1808, 3 vols.). Hildesheim: Olms, reprint of the edition Halle, Renger, 1807. Ed. By Walter Sparn.
  • Mixed fonts . (Hall 1784–88, 2 volumes).
  • General theory of thinking and feeling . Reprint d. Edition Berlin, Voss, 1776. Hildesheim; Zurich; New York: Olms 1984. ISBN 3-487-07431-1 .
  • About the signs of the enlightenment of a nation: a lecture held ... in Halle on Feb. 11, 1783 . Hall 1783.
  • On the value of sensitivity, especially with regard to novels . Hall 1786.
  • Postscript on the moral worth of sensitivity . Hall 1786.
  • Brief outline of metaphysics: with regard to the present state of philosophy . Hall 1794.
  • Sitne adspectabile quid et ab ipsa remuneratione diversum, exspectandum die instantis reditus Christi ad iudicium extremum? . Hall 1796.
  • Is the Augsburg Confession a precept of the Lutheran Church? A historical study to calm the governments ... / In letters from an old Lutheran preacher [ie Johann August Eberhard] to his younger ministerial brothers . Hall 1797.
  • Attempt to determine more precisely the point of dispute between Prof. Fichte and his opponents . Hall 1799.
  • About the god of Professor Fichte and the god of his opponents: A calm examination of his appeal to the public in a few letters . Hall 1799.
  • Wilhelm Ludwig Gottlob von Eberstein: Attempt a history of the progress of philosophy in Germany from the end of the last century to the present time . Johann August Eberhard (Ed.). Hall 1799.
  • Johann August Eberhard's attempt at a general German synonymy in a critical-philosophical dictionary of synonymous words in High German dialect . (Halle 1795 to 1802, 6 vol .; continued and expanded by Maaß , 1818–21, 12 vol .; 4th edition by Meyer, Leipzig 1853, 2 vol.).
  • Johann August Eberhard's Synonymic Concise Dictionary of the German Language for everyone who wants to express themselves correctly in this language. Along with detailed instructions on how to use it effectively . (Halle 1802; 13th edition by Lyon and Wilbrandt, Leipzig 1882). ( Digitized version )
  • Seven essays on the criticism of Kant, published in the Philosophical Magazine of 1789, in: Immanuel Kant : The dispute with Johann August Eberhardt. Edited by Marion Lauschke and Manfred Zahn. Hamburg: Meiner 2003, pp. 1–107, ISBN 3-7873-1647-7 .
  • About state constitutions and their improvement: [a manual for German citizens from the educated classes] . Reprint of the Berlin, Voss, 1793 and 1794 / ed. by Walter Sparn. Hildesheim; Zurich; New York: Olms-Weidmann 2002. ISBN 3-487-11607-3 .
  • Leibniz biographies . (Enth .: Gottfried Wilhelm Freyherr von Leibnitz / Johann August Eberhard. - Description of life of the Freyherrn von Leibnitz / Johann Georg von Eckhart ). Hildesheim; Zurich; New York: Olms 1982. ISBN 3-487-07239-4 .
  • Observationes in aliquot locos Prophetarum minorum . Hall 1805.

literature

  • Friedrich Nicolai: memorial writing on Johann August Eberhard . Berlin & Stettin: [Nicolai] 1810.
  • Arthur Richter:  Eberhard, Johann August . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, pp. 569-571.
  • Lüder Gäbe:  Eberhard, Johann August. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, ISBN 3-428-00185-0 , p. 240 ( digitized version ).
  • Claudio La Rocca: Introduzione . In: Immanuel Kant: Contro Eberhard. La polemica sulla Critica della ragion pura. Edited by Claudio La Rocca. Pisa: Giardini 1994. ISBN 88-427-0273-0 .
  • Manfred Gawlina: The Medusa head of criticism. The controversy between Immanuel Kant and Johann August Eberhard . Berlin u. a .: de Gruyter 1996. ISBN 3-11-015047-6 .
  • Manfred Zahn: The historical context of the Kant-Eberhard controversy . In: Immanuel Kant: The dispute with Johann August Eberhard. Edited by Marion Lauschke u. Manfred Zahn. Hamburg: Meiner 1998, pp. XIII-XL.
  • Jocelyn Benoist: Introduction . In: Immanuel Kant: Réponse à Eberhard. Edited by Jocelyn Benoist. Paris: Libr. Philosophique Vrin 1999. ISBN 2-7116-1360-7 .
  • Gerda Haßler : Johann August Eberhard (1739-1809). A contentious spirit at the limits of the Enlightenment . With a selection of texts by Eberhard. Halle / Saale: Hallescher Verl. 2000. ISBN 3-929887-25-8 .
  • Hans-Joachim Kertscher , Ernst Stöckmann (ed.): An antipode of Kant? Johann August Eberhard in the field of tension between late Enlightenment philosophy and theology (Hallesche's contributions to the European Enlightenment), Berlin: de Gruyter 2012
  • Birgit Rehme-Iffert: JA Eberhard (1739–1809), Schlelermacher's teacher . In: Athenaeum - yearbook of the Friedrich Schlegel Society . Issue 13, 2003, doi : 10.18452 / 5813 .

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Works
personal data
SURNAME Eberhard, Johann August
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH August 31, 1739
PLACE OF BIRTH Halberstadt
DATE OF DEATH January 6, 1809
Place of death Berlin