Alf Ahlberg

Alf Robert Bertil Ahlberg ( born October 21, 1892 in Laholm; † 29 January 1979) was a Swedish writer, humanist and philosopher.

Life

Alf Ahlberg was the son of Leutpriesters Axel Ahlberg and his wife Anna Lindskog and brother of the architect Hakon Ahlberg. Ahlberg graduated in 1911 at Lund University to study philosophy, and in 1917 received his doctorate with the dissertation matter problem in Platonism: Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Bruno: a historical and critical study. Subsequently he was for several years an employee of the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, during which helped out as an adjunct in Södermalm and worked as a lecturer at the Institute workers. Alongside he often returned items for Dagens Nyheter. In 1927 he became a teacher at the community college Brunnsvik and 1932 conveyed to the rector. In this position he held until his retirement in 1959. 1933 married Ahlberg the landlords daughter Edith Larsson. After her death in 1944 he married Ruth Davidsson 1946.

Ahlberg was known for his scientific and philosophical works. Great attention called De sociala och politiska myterna ( German: The social and political myths ) out of 1937. It deals with, among others, the Nazi propaganda and mythology. In från Flykten Ensamheten ( German: Escape from loneliness ) of 1949, he examines why the modern man was so susceptible to propaganda.

Filosofins historia I-VI ( German: History of Philosophy, Vol 1-6) is expected to debut his work. It was the first of its kind and has been sold in several editions (the last revised edition was published in 1967 ). In 1935 Psykologiens historia ( German: History of Psychology ). Ahlberg also wrote several biographies, for example, on Augustine, Bertil Malmberg, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer and translated José Ortega y Gasset's The Revolt of the Masses. Ahlbergs work runs through a deep critique of the biological naturalism of his time. He advocated a humanism in Hans Larsson shear socialist interpretation of tradition and Christianity. For Ahlberg the Western world and Christianity was a unit. He saw in communism and Nazism a threat to their core values ​​, but as a necessary consequence of the naturalism. Communism and Nazism were regarded by him as a primitive materialism, primitive collectivism and primitive subjectivism. If everything came into being by natural laws, would also be folly and wickedness of benefits, said Ahlberg.

His autobiography Minnen och is meditationer of 1942, a spirit of the times corresponding symbol rich representation of his intellectual experiences and development. Ahlberg even wrote poems that were very popular among his pupils.

Works (selection)

  • Filosofiens historia ( 1925-28 )
  • Tankelivets frigörelse (1934 )
  • Minnen och meditationer (1942 )
  • Tankelivets frigörelse ( German: the liberation of thought, 1945)
  • Fundamental questions in psychology: The letter school ( 1949-50 )
  • Troende utan tro: religiösa sökare i vår tid (1966 )

Prizes and awards

  • Culture Prize of the publisher Nature och Culture 1974
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