Eugene Dühring

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Eugen Karl Dühring (born January 12, 1833 in Berlin , † September 21, 1921 in Nowawes (today Potsdam-Babelsberg )) was a philosopher , economist and co-founder of racial anti-Semitism in the German Empire . He thus became a pioneer of the later National Socialism .

Education and academic activity

Eugen Dühring was the son of a civil servant and studied law in Berlin. Until 1859 he worked as a lawyer. Since he suffered from poor eyesight at an early age, which developed into complete blindness by the age of thirty , he had to give up his job. Instead, despite this disability, he continued his studies in various fields such as economics, philosophy , mechanics , logic , ethics and literature .

In 1863 Dühring completed his habilitation in philosophy, in 1864 also in economics. In the same year he received a lecturer position at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin . There, however, he got into conflicts with professor colleagues. After he had also repeatedly attacked the university as a scientific institution, he lost his teaching license in 1877. From then until his death in 1921 he worked as a private scholar.

Think

Positivism, Atheism and Materialism

Besides Ernst Mach and Richard Avenarius , Dühring was an important representative of German positivism . He only recognized sensual perceptions and intellectual conclusions derived from them as reality and asserted against Immanuel Kant that objective reality corresponds to its scientific description. With this claim he fought against all subjectivism and idealism , all religion and metaphysics . Based on Auguste Comte , Voltaire and Ludwig Feuerbach , but against Hegel and Karl Marx, he taught a "philosophy of reality" which, according to him, should become the "principle of the all-round design of life". It is therefore attributed to modern anti-metaphysical atheism . He described the races as the result of the natural development of mankind.

Political economy and anti-Marxist socialism

Dühring gained his political and economic views mainly from a discussion with Friedrich List . He positioned his racial "socialism of the Aryan people " since 1865 sharply against Marx, but also against Ferdinand Lassalle .

After losing his teaching license, he gained increasing sympathy in the SPD . Eduard Bernstein stood up for him in the party leadership, anarchists and other anti-Marxists also appealed to him. At the Gotha party congress in 1877, Dühring's supporters in the SPD demanded that articles by Friedrich Engels no longer appear in Vorwärts . This prompted Engels to write Anti-Dühring in reply in 1878 .

Since the Socialist Laws, Dühring's influence on the labor movement has declined rapidly.

Racial anti-Semitism

In 1881 Dühring's campaign book Die Judenfrage (The Jewish Question) appeared as a question of race, morals and culture. With a world-historical answer . It was a pseudoscientific attempt to give anti-Semitism as a political movement a biological, historical and philosophical foundation. He described the “ Jewish question ” - similar to Wilhelm Marr before him , but different from this one with a scientific claim - as an expression of an irrevocable racial antagonism: Judaism is by nature inevitable the enemy of all civilized peoples who would have to defend themselves against it in order not to perish .

The traditional view of Judaism as a religion is misleading by “priests and religious educators”: Therefore attacks by church theologians like August Rohling on the Talmud are secondary. If the religious masquerade is omitted, then “the Jew will be revealed in his natural and inalienable nature”. This peculiarity of Judaism has always been felt by the “lower people and the common middle class” with their “natural instincts ”. Even the baptism of Jews cannot change this: It would only increase the danger of Jews infiltrating into all areas of the nation and generate counter-reactions. Since the Jewish religion is only an expression of racial characteristics, the distinction between baptized, adapted and non-baptized Jews is no longer applicable.

The monotheism is an expression of Jewish intolerance : The Jewish God is intolerant as his people ... The Jews are his servants, but they want to be masters of the world. The Jewish race is also culturally worthless and nothing but “inveterate selfishness”. The Jew can only steal and exploit the values ​​of other peoples. As a parasite , it causes corruption in its surroundings, since it is where it feels most comfortable. He has been waging a “war of oppression and exploitation” “against the human race since time immemorial”. The peoples would have to defend themselves against the Jews like Rome against Carthage in order not to perish themselves. With these formulations, Dühring alluded to well-known clichés: the odium generis - a "hatred of the human species" that was often said of the Jews in antiquity (for example by Tacitus ) and the demand for Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam by the Roman senator Cato, which has become a proverb . In doing so, he indirectly demanded the annihilation of Judaism.

Therefore only an international solution to the Jewish question is permanent. The expulsion of all Jews was initially impracticable and would only relocate the problem to other places, where it would soon arise again. This task must therefore be “postponed to a wider and more energetic future”. Seen in this way, the Jewish question still lies before the peoples. Serious consideration is currently the " international law internment " of Jews in certain regions for them. However , their " nomadism " is incapable of a " Jewish state " , so that they can break through their internment and make their territory the basis of their world domination. For the time being, larger groups of Jews could only be “removed” in the event of collective treason; that would then be a “deportation”. For the time being, only every nation can “outsource” its Jews, place them under exceptional rights and control their property in order to completely eliminate their influence on the state, press and education. Criminals among the Jews should be deported, mixed marriages should be outlawed and forbidden.

However, these are only preliminary steps; the ultimate goal of anti-Semitic politics must remain the “elimination of Judaism by the modern national spirit”. In a later edition of this essay, Dühring formulated “Excretion of the Jewish race from modern peoples life”; In 1900 he called for the "extermination of the Jewish people".

In Social Rescue through Real Law instead of robbery policy and servant law from 1907, Dühring warned that a “ race war ” would arise as “retaliation for the excitement of class hatred ” by “Jewish socialism ”.

reception

The social democratic, later anarchist agitator Johann Most discussed Dühring's course in philosophy very benevolently in a series of articles in the Berlin Free Press (September 10 - October 21, 1876). With a time difference of just a few days, Friedrich Engels then wrote the series of articles for Vorwärts that subsequently appeared in book format as “ Anti-Dühring ”.

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote in 1887 in his work On the Genealogy of Morals as part of his criticism of " Resentment ":

“I remind readers who have ears once again of that Berlin vengeance apostle Eugen Dühring, who makes the most indecent and disgusting use of moral boom in Germany today: Dühring, the first moral loudmouth there is now, even among his own kind , the anti-Semites. "

For Theodor Herzl , Dühring was one of the founders of racist anti-Semitism, who convinced him in the 1890s that only Zionism could guarantee the future of Judaism.

Dühring's work on the Jewish question influenced later anti-Semites such as Theodor Fritsch , who referred to it in his anti-Semite catechism of 1887, Houston Stewart Chamberlain and Georg von Schönerer . Dühring's anti-Semitic views later found their way into the racial teachings of National Socialism through this reception . Fritsch's anti-Semitic catechism appeared in later editions as a manual on the Jewish question and from the 41st edition in 1940 with a foreword by Adolf Hitler . Dühring's writings have been reissued by the "Dühringbund" founded for this purpose since 1924, again since 1930. Even today, Dühring is regarded as a forerunner of National Socialism.

After the end of the Second World War, Dühring's writings: The replacement of religion by more perfect and the stripping of Asianism (Reisland, Leipzig 1928), The Jewish question as a question of racial character and its harmfulness to the existence and culture of peoples (Reisland, Leipzig 1930), Fundamental wisdom and truths (Greulich, Stuttgart 1933) and social rescue through real law instead of robbery policy and servant law (Reisland, Leipzig 1933) placed on the list of literature to be segregated in the Soviet occupation zone .

Eugen Dühring , written by Maximilian Greulich, and the worker problem , at the same time the human problem (Reisland, Leipzig 1930) and the Dühring and Nietzsche published by Hans Reinhardt (Reisland, Leipzig 1931) as well as Karl Holleck-Weithmann's Eugen Dühring and the Nordic, were also included on this list Weltanschauung (Dühringbund, Hanau / Main: 1934), the postils of the Dühringbund published by Reinhardt-Verlag in Zittau at the end of the 1920s, propaganda sheets or mailing sheets for Dühring's mindset and lifestyle as well as the “Wissenschaftliche Blatt für Volk und Völker” published from 1933 to 1936 “Eugen Dühring Community” Der Ruck (published by the publishing house “Eugen Dühring” J. Niederlich).

Fonts

  • Capital and Labor , 1865 digitized .
  • The Value of Life , 1865 digitized .
  • Natural dialectics , 1865 digitized
  • Critical foundation of economics. Berlin, Eichhoff 1866 digitized .
  • Carey's Shrinker . Breslau 1867 digitized.
  • The fate of my social memorandum for the Prussian State Ministry. At the same time a contribution to the history of author rights and the application of the law. Berlin, Heimann 1868.
  • Critical history of philosophy from its beginnings to the present. Berlin, Heimann 1869 digitized .
  • Critical history of the general principles of mechanics . Berlin 1873. Digitized
  • Course in national and social economy , 1873.
  • Course of Philosophy , 1875, from the 4th edition titled as Philosophy of Reality .
  • Logic and philosophy of science , 1878.
  • Critical history of political economy and socialism. 3rd, partially revised edition, Fues, Leipzig 1879
  • Robert Mayer of Galileo 19th century. 2 parts in 1 volume. Chemnitz / Leipzig, Schmeitzner / Naumann 1880–1895 (Repr. 1972 ISBN 3-534-05606-X ). Digitized
  • The Jewish question as a question of race, morals and culture with a world-historical answer , 1881 ( digitized version ).
  • The overestimation of Lessing and his advocacy for the Jews. Reuther, Karlsruhe and Leipzig 1881.
  • Thing, life and enemies. As the main work and key to all of his writings. With his portrait. Reuther, Karlsruhe and Leipzig 1882 (autobiography).
  • The replacement of religion by something more perfect and the elimination of all Judaism by the modern national spirit. Reuther, Karlsruhe and Leipzig 1883. Digitized 2nd verb. Ed. 1897
  • The path to higher vocational education for women and the teaching of universities. 2nd ed. Leipzig 1885. Digitized and full text in the German text archive
  • The overestimation of Lessing and his concern with literature. Thomas, Leipzig 1906.
  • Critical history of the general principles of mechanics. Font crowned by the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Göttingen with the first prize of the Beneke Foundation. Fues, 3rd edition, Leipzig 1887.
  • The greats of modern literature popularly and critically presented according to new points of view. 2 sections in 1 volume, first edition. Naumann, Leipzig 1893.
  • Arms, capital, work. 2nd completely reworked edition. Verlag von Theod. Thomas, Leipzig 1906. MDZ Reader
  • Social salvation through real law instead of robbery policy and servant law. 1907.
  • The worth of life. A thinker view in the sense of a heroic view of life. 3rd improved edition. Leipzig 1881. Digitized

literature

Historical representations

  • Hans Vaihinger : Hartmann , Dühring and Lange . On the history of German philosophy in the XIX. Century. A critical essay . J. Baedeker, Iserlohn 1876. ULB Münster
  • Abraham Enß: Angel's assassination attempt on common sense - or: The scientific bankruptcy in Marxist socialism. An open letter to my friends in Berlin. Self-published. Gand Saconnex, Switzerland, 1877.
  • Friedrich Engels: Mr. Eugen Dühring's upheaval in science. Leipzig, Genossenschafts-Buchdruckerei 1878 Text based on Marx Engels works. Vol. 20 digitized ; Digitized edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf
  • Benedict Friedlaender : The liberal socialism in contrast to the state servitude of the Marxists. With special consideration of the works and fate of Eugen Dühring. Free publishing house, Berlin 1892.
  • Emil Döll : Eugen Dühring, something of his character, achievements and Reformation profession. A popular memorial from my own perceptions, verbal and correspondence. Naumann, Leipzig 1893.
  • Karl Holleck-Weithmann: Eugen Dühring and the Nordic worldview. Hanau / Main, Dühringbund 1934.
  • Theodor Lessing : Dühring's hatred. Wolf Albrecht Adam Verlag, Hanover 1922; New edition in ders .: Requests to speak of an intrepid man. Gustav Kiepenheuer, Weimar 1987, pp. 94-114.
  • Maximilian Greulich: Eugen Dühring and the workers problem at the same time humanity problem. Verlag R. Reisland, Leipzig 1930.
  • Dühringbund (ed.): Eugen Dühring: his mental attitude in life and its importance for posterity. "Sendbogen" issues 9/1921 - 33/1927.
  • Arnold Voelske: The development of "racial anti-Semitism" at the center of Eugen Dühring's worldview. Hamburg 1936 (Diss., 59 p.)

Present day representations

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Vorländer : History of Philosophy III. The philosophy of modern times: Eugen Dühring (1903)
  2. ↑ Werner Bergmann: Dühring, Eugen Karl (also Carl). In: Wolfgang Benz (Hrsg.): Handbook of Antisemitism Volume 2: People. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2009, ISBN 3-598-44159-2 , p. 188
  3. ^ Philosophy website on Dühring
  4. ^ Karlheinz Weissmann, The Epoch of National Socialism , Journal of Libertarian Studies 12/2, 1996, p. 261 (pdf; 135 kB)
  5. ↑ Karl Müller: " On the origin and effect of Engels 'Anti-Dühring' ", in: trend No. 09/04.
  6. ↑ Quoted from Olaf Blaschke , Katholischer Antisemitismus im 19. Jahrhundert , orell füssli Verlag, Zurich 2000, ISBN 3-280-02806-X , p. 210f
  7. ↑ Quoted from Alex Bein : Die Judenfrage. Biography of a world problem, Volume 1. Stuttgart 1980, p. 223
  8. ↑ Quoted from Alex Bein : Die Judenfrage. Biography of a world problem, Volume 1. Stuttgart 1980, p. 224
  9. ↑ Quoted from Alex Bein : Die Judenfrage. Biography of a world problem, Volume 1. Stuttgart 1980, p. 224
  10. ↑ All partial quotations from Alex Bein : The Jewish question. Biography of a World Problem, Volume 1. Stuttgart 1980, p. 225
  11. ↑ after Alex Bein : The Jewish question. Biography of a world problem , Volume 1, Stuttgart 1980, p. 226
  12. ↑ Werner Bergmann: Dühring, Eugen Karl (also Carl). In: Wolfgang Benz (Hrsg.): Handbook of Antisemitism Volume 2: People. Berlin 2009, p. 191
  13. ↑ Quoted from Emil Döll (Ed.): Dühring truths: in passages from the writings of the reformer, researcher and thinker, together with his portrait. T. Thomas, 1908, p. 67
  14. ↑ Johann Most: A philosopher. ; Reprinted in: Johann Most, Documents of a Social Democratic Agitator , ed. and a. v. Volker Szmula, however, Grafenau 1990, Volume 3, pp. 120-168.
  15. ^ Friedrich Nietzsche: On the genealogy of morality , third treatise, section 14 ( KSA 5, p. 370).
  16. ^ Shlomo Avineri : " Herzl's Road to Zionism ( Memento of October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )", The Hagshama Department
  17. ↑ Andrea Geier: Topik des Antisemitismus , p. 5 (PDF; 234 kB) ( Memento from February 18, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  18. ↑ Peter Pulzer: The emergence of political anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria 1867 to 1914 , Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Göttingen 2004, ISBN 3-525-36954-9 , p. 229.
  19. ↑ Judith Gissing, Rassenhygiene und Schule im Third Reich , 2003, p. 17, FN 39 (pdf; 166 kB)
  20. ^ Gerd-Klaus Kaltenbrunner, From the competitor of Karl Marx to the forerunner of Hitler: Eugen Dühring , in: Karl Schwedhelm (Ed.): Propheten des Nationalsozialismus , 1969, pp. 36-55.
  21. ↑ http://www.polunbi.de/bibliothek/1946-nslit-d.html
  22. ↑ http://www.polunbi.de/bibliothek/1947-nslit-d.html
  23. ↑ http://www.polunbi.de/bibliothek/1948-nslit-g.html
  24. ↑ http://www.polunbi.de/bibliothek/1948-nslit-d.html
  25. ↑ http://www.polunbi.de/bibliothek/1948-nslit-h.html
  26. ↑ http://www.polunbi.de/bibliothek/1948-nslit-zeit.html
  27. ↑ MDZ - Munich Digitization Center: Eugen Dühring - The fates of my social memorandum for the Prussian State Ministry, at the same time a contribution to the history of author rights and the application of the law. Verlag von L. Heimann, Berlin 1868. Retrieved on May 4, 2019 .
  28. ^ UB-Basel: Angel's assassination attempt on common sense - or: The scientific bankruptcy in Marxist socialism. In: UB-Basel. Retrieved May 4, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Dühring, Eugene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dühring, Karl Eugen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German philosopher, economist and anti-Semitic author
DATE OF BIRTH January 12, 1833
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH September 21, 1921
Place of death Babelsberg