Karl Bormann (philosopher)

Karl Bormann (born November 23, 1928 in Monheim am Rhein ; † August 17, 2015 ) was a German historian of philosophy . His research area was ancient and medieval philosophy, in particular the work of Nikolaus von Kues .

Life

Bormann spent his entire scientific career at the University of Cologne . Here he studied with Professors Josef Koch , Günther Jachmann and Joseph Kroll Philosophy and Classical Philology and was in 1955 with a thesis on the ideas and Logo doctrine of Philo of Alexandria doctorate in which he Philo's Logos concept in critical confrontation with Harry Austryn Wolfson examined.

From 1954 to 1959 Bormann was a research assistant at the Thomas Institute at the University of Cologne, then until 1965 assistant at Paul Wilpert's Philosophical Seminar . Funded by a habilitation grant from the German Research Foundation , he completed his habilitation in 1967 with the work Parmenides : Investigations on the fragments . In 1970 he was first appointed as an adjunct professor, and shortly thereafter as a scientific councilor and professor. In 1980 he was appointed university professor of philosophy. In 1994 he retired.

In 1967 Bormann became head of the Cologne office of the Cusanus Commission of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences , which oversees the edition and translation of the works of Nikolaus von Kues; In 1970 he became a member of the commission, in the same year a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Cusanus Society and in 1973 co-editor of the communications and research contributions of the Cusanus Society . Since then, the Cusanus research and edition has been the focus of his scientific work. A multiple introduction to Plato's life and work was also widely used .

Characteristic of Bormann's work is the sober and fact-oriented manner of presentation based on a thorough and precise, philologically sound text analysis, with no extensive philosophical speculations.

Fonts (selection)

As an author:

• The doctrine of ideas and logos of Philons of Alexandria. An argument with HA Wolfson. Cologne 1955 (dissertation).
• Parmenides. Studies on the Fragments . Meiner, Hamburg 1971 (habilitation thesis).
• Plato. Alber, Freiburg im Breisgau 1973; 4th, revised edition 2003, ISBN 3-495-48094-3 .
• Contributions to Wulff D. Rehfus (Hrsg.): Hand dictionary philosophy. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2003 ( online ).

As editor and translator:

• Nikolaus von Kues: Nicolai de Cusa opera omnia. Iussu et auctoritate Academiae Litterarum Heidelbergensis ad codicum fidem edita. (Historical-critical complete edition of the Heidelberg Academy), Meiner, Hamburg
  • Vol. 3: De coniecturis (with Josef Koch and Hans Gerhard Senger) 1972, ISBN 978-3-7873-0218-5
  • Vol. 10: Opuscula II (with Heide Dorothea Riemann); Fasc. 2a, 1994, ISBN 978-3-7873-1075-3 ; Fasc. 2b, 1988, ISBN 978-3-7873-0750-0
  • Vol. 11/1: De beryllo (with Hans Gerhard Senger) 1988, ISBN 978-3-7873-0749-4
  • Vol. 11/3: Compendium (with Bruno Decker) 1964, ISBN 978-3-7873-0192-8
• Nikolaus von Kues: Writings of Nikolaus von Kues in German translation (Latin-German parallel edition ); Mine, Hamburg
  • Book 2: About Beryl: Latin-German. Newly translated, introduced and edited with notes. by Karl Bormann. 1976, 4th edition 2002 (Philosophical Library 295), ISBN 978-3-7873-1608-3
  • Issue 16: Compendium. Brief presentation of the philosophical-theological teachings . Edited by Bruno Decker and Karl Bormann, 3rd edition, 1996 (Philosophical Library 267), ISBN 978-3-7873-1190-3
  • Book 23: Tu quis es (De principio). About the origin . Newly translated, introduced and edited with notes. by Karl Bormann, 2001 (Philosophical Library 487), ISBN 978-3-7873-1271-9
  • Issue 24: De venatione sapientiae. The hunt for wisdom. Based on the edition by Paul Wilpert, newly edited. by Karl Bormann, 2003 (Philosophical Library 549), ISBN 3-7873-1626-4
• Nikolaus von Kues: Philosophical-theological works. Latin-German. 4 volumes, Meiner, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 978-3-7873-1624-3
• Plato: The state. About the just. Translated and explained by Otto Apelt . Viewed by Karl Bormann. Introduction by Paul Wilpert. 8th edition. Meiner, Hamburg 1961 (Philosophical Library 80), ISBN 978-3-7873-0930-6
• Philo of Alexandria: On the freedom of the capable. About the contemplative life. About the immortality of the world. (Translation). In: Philo of Alexandria: The works in German translation . Volume VII, de Gruyter, Berlin 1964.
• Josef Koch: Small writings , 2 volumes, Storia e letteratura. Raccolta di studi e testi 127, Rome 1973
• Cusanus texts , part III: marginalia; Vol. 2: Proclus Latinus. The excerpts and marginal notes of Nikolaus von Kues on the Latin translations of the Proclus writings , part 2: Expositio in Parmenidem Platonis . Winter, Heidelberg 1986 (Treatises of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences, Philosophical-Historical Class, born 1986, Abh. 3)

literature

• Ludwig Hagemann and Reinhold Glei (eds.): ΕΝ ΚΑΙ ΠΛΗΘΟΣ - Unity and multiplicity. Festschrift for Karl Bormann on the occasion of his 65th birthday (= Studies in Religious Studies. Vol. 30). Echter, Würzburg 1993, ISBN 3-429-01554-5 .
• Kürschner's German Scholars Calendar . 21st edition. KG Saur, Munich 2007.
• Who is who? 39th edition (2000). P. 150.

Web links

• Literature by and about Karl Bormann in the catalog of the German National Library
• Obituary of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Cologne

Individual evidence

1. ↑ News , Institute for Cusanus Research, website of the University of Trier ( Memento from July 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive ); Family obituary , accessed September 19, 2015.