Max-Otto Lorenzen

Max Otto Lorenzen (* 26. June 1950 in Tellingstedt ; † 24. August 2008 in Lohra in Marburg ) was a German philosopher of post-modernism and free journalist .

life and career

Max-Otto Lorenzen was born in the Dithmarschen district. After graduating from high school, he began studying philosophy and German at the University of Hamburg in 1969 , which he continued from 1975 at the Lüneburg University of Education . In 1977 he went to Paris for further studies in French philosophy. In 1979 his first work, dedicated to Gustav Landauer , was published, “The Spirit of Dialectic or the Exhaustion of Criticism”. It was preceded by intense discussions about anarchism and Marxism , with which Lorenzen repeatedly grappled.

For writing "Diary of a nameless" of Peter Kropotkin wrote an afterword. Already in the publishing house "Die Freie Gesellschaft" , which he co-founded in Hanover, in which his later wife Jutta Berendt worked for the magazine Die Freie Gesellschaft . Quarterly journal for social criticism and liberal socialism was an editor, he published regularly. For his publications Lorenzen also translated texts by Kropotkin.

In 1981 Lorenzen went to the University of Marburg for a doctorate . His doctoral project, which encompasses several disciplines in the humanities, was not accepted by any faculty, so that Lorenzen has no official dissertation. In 1991 his main work “Metaphysics as Borderline. The idea of ​​enlightenment under the primacy of practical reason in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant ”, however, in the respected Felix Meiner publishing house . His work on the concept of metaphysics with Immanuel Kant is regularly received in the academic discus in the fields of history , philosophy and theology .

In 1997, Lorenzen and Helmut Welger founded the “philoSOPHIA” association , a platform without academic and university barriers that should be open to anyone interested in philosophy. Since 2000, Lorenzen has been the editor of the online “Marburger Forum” . In addition to key topics, the “Marburg Forum” featured articles and essays, reviews and conversations, theater and art reviews, “The Book of the Month” and reports from cultural life.

In 2001 “Das Schwarze. A theory of evil in the post-modern era. Philosophical-literary essay by Max Lorenzen ” . In 2007 he published three stories which he called postmodern : “Illness. Cold. Immortality ” . Lorenzen was unable to finish work on another book, about two thirds of which were available when he died. The working title was “Postmodern Philosophy. The Transformation of Culture - Virtuality and Globalization ” with the introduction“ Characteristics of contemporary society ”. The first chapter is headed: “Center structures”, the second deals with the “mode of operation of plural structures”. Further sections follow: “Postmodern Freedom” and “Media: Enjoyment and Performance”.

Max-Otto Lorenzen lived as a freelance publicist and private scholar until his death. The 1981 marriage with Jutta Berendt, from which two daughters emerged, was later divorced. Lorenzen married again in 2001. He died suddenly of heart failure.

Works

• Max-Otto Lorenzen: The spirit of dialectics or the exhaustion of criticism , 124 pages in a gray cardboard volume, Hanover, December 1979, printing and publishing house Jürgen Otte.
• Max-Otto Lorenzen: Metaphysics as a Borderline. The idea of ​​enlightenment under the primacy of practical reason in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant . Published by Felix Meiner, 1991
• The black one. A theory of evil in the post-modern era. Philosophical-literary essay by Max Lorenzen , 280 pages in the Tectum Verlag in Marburg. 2001
• Max Lorenzen: Illness. Cold. Immortality . Three stories. Publishing house von Königshausen and Neumann in Würzburg, 2007

Web links

• Literature by and about Max-Otto Lorenzen in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ “There is reason enough for a truly unbridled melancholy, but also for an intense joy of being.” Conversation with Max-Otto Lorenzen in: Marburger Forum. Contributions to the intellectual situation of the present, vol. 2 (2001), issue 6
2. ↑ ^{a b} Bibliographical information ( memento of the original dated August 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: Ralf G. Hoerig and Jochen Schmück , Database of German-speaking Anarchism - DadA, Department: Periodicals 1798-2001 ff. 
3. ↑ This is the temporary caretaker speaking! Kropotkin in conversation with Lenin-über Cooperatives Helmut Höge on www.blogs.taz.de
4. ↑ Thomas Kater: Politics, Law, History. Paderborn 1998 excerpts from Google Books
5. ↑ Axel Hutter: The interest of reason. Habilitation thesis University of Bochum WS 2002/2003 excerpts from Google Books
6. ↑ Martin Pöttner: The Time of Fragile Gospel Communication Habilitation Thesis, Part 1
7. ↑ Martin Pöttner: The Time of Fragile Gospel Communication Habilitation Thesis, Part 3
8. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Max Lorenzen suffers sudden cardiac death ) Obituary in: Marburger Forum: Contributions to the spiritual situation of the present, vol. 9 (2008), issue 5