Johann Christian Lossius
Johann Christian Lossius ( born April 22, 1743 Liebstedt, Saxony -Weimar, † January 8, 1813 in Erfurt, Germany ) was a German philosopher. In philosophical discussion about anthropological questions he made contributions to theories of consciousness, which he referred to the neuro-physiological research of his time.
Life
Lossius studied in Jena philosophy. To study were also theological events. Among his fellow students in Jena and later colleagues at the University of Erfurt Christian Salzmann was that years later founded the Philanthropinum at Gotha. Lossius 1770 became professor of philosophy at the University of Erfurt in 1772 and also in Erfurt a chair of theology. At the same time to his cousin Kaspar Friedrich Lossius began his studies at the University of Erfurt, who has become a well-known poets and writers of religious education journals. He attended among others Johann Christian's lectures on metaphysics, natural law and moral philosophy.
Many German universities had the problem intellectually to stay behind the general contemporary historical and scientific changes at this time. Lossius belonged to a group of professors who had been called to Erfurt to modernize the content of teaching. Except Lossius these were also the poet Christoph Martin Wieland, the philosopher, art historian and writer Friedrich Justus Riedel, and the theologian Carl Friedrich Bahrdt. Lossius held at the Catholic University of Erfurt dominated lectures on Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Helvetius and Montaigne.
In 1775 he published Physical causes of truth. He discussed and explained it possible relationships between brain and thought processes and the resulting consequences for philosophy. It was followed by other publications such as Hannibal, a physiognomic fragment ( 1776), the physiognomy of Aristotle (1777 ) was supplemented by a memoir About. This he had sent a two -volume work on neuro- physiologically sound logic entitled lessons of common sense (1777 ). In his book Something about the Kantian philosophy in terms of the proof of the existence of God ( 1789) he represented, in contrast to Kant the view that, for philosophical reasons to simple conclusions should be sufficient. He also suggested that instead of metaphysical practices of Christian Wolff and Immanuel Kant's philosophical concepts and ideas through descriptions in terms of neurophysiological changes in organs and in connection with specific examples to define. In this sense, in 1808 he published his four-volume and knowledgeable factory new philosophical general real lexicon whose definitions contrasted with rationalism.
Main ideas of his philosophy
Philosophy must start from the present
Lossius is now regarded as the leading philosopher of the late period of the German Aufklärung.Ein look into the history of ancient philosophy is not enough to find out what people can find it for some kind of truth, but the current would have to do its own investigation about it, he wrote to the first pages of his book Physical causes of truth. He went out for all his philosophical reflections from the fact that people can only know what they allowed their body's "Fiber vibrations " as impressions. The quantity and quality of scientific and especially neurophysiological research on humans had grown since the Renaissance. This development was, inter alia, the reason that in Europe the suitability of rationalist concepts and metaphysics philosophize were questioned. Lossius named John Locke, Anthony Ashley -Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Charles Bonnet, Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, James Beattie, Abraham Tucker ( 1705-1774; pseudonym Edward Search), David Hume, George Berkeley, Thomas Reid, Adam Ferguson, Claude Adrien Helvetius, Michel de Montaigne, Jean -Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d' Argens as co-thinkers in the reading of which he had obtained for its conclusions confirmation or criticism.
What is true is what keep people in relation to physical sensations to be true
Think summarized Lossius mainly as a result of " Fiber wings " of the nerves in the brain. Today we would say that thinking is an emergent phenomenon of neurophysiological processes. When thinking about going busy with ideas that emerge from conscious perceived changes in the organs. Another way to thoughts and ideas to come, the man did not. " The soul can perceive nothing, except what her body allows her. " Lossius said in summary. The speech of the metaphysician about truth therefore mean nothing. If, however, the true name not want to do without, one could philosophically including only understand what keep people in terms of their body perceptions to be true. The dualism of body and soul he put in terms of its Christian theological conceptions of the question. But he shared the view of Blaise Pascal that faith with philosophy should not be mixed. Metaphysical or transcendental concepts of truth, therefore he held for everyday life practice unnecessary.
The human physique is creating the basis for a sound reason
For human knowledge and action follow from these principles, uncertainty and insecurity. But he therefore saw no danger of ending up in philosophical skepticism. Our neurophysiological organization brings about feelings, can take on the way we the existence of things with sufficient security. What a person think is true, is an expression of pleasant sensations that caused brain processes. The absolute certainty but stay in the things themselves. One can observe that people on the basis of these sensations are in a position to make their own conclusions and make their own decisions without following intricate metaphysical considerations. How could each make its contribution to philosophy.
Also, our actions should be based on our feelings. The judgment 'good' corresponds pleasant physical sensations that accompany their own or other people's actions. In everyday life, people went out of what they perceive others on the basis of examples of good and right. This would apply to people of all cultures and this feeling is the basis of any morality. "Where one has ever praised a malicious act, or even held the wicked for happy when he has reached his intentions " to the general human capacity out of apparent true consider turning Lossius known as common sense. The " common sense " was nothing more than what is a sample calculation in arithmetic. Reason fiddle with things that were left to her in terms of our physical sensations to think. In his writing lessons of sound reason can be found to more accurate models.
Philosophizing to find your way in life
Terms and thus our thinking should be clear and distinct, if you explain to concrete things and the construction and function of our bodily organs. Even children could learn this on continuous observation of specific examples. The formation, thus contributing to the fact that people develop ideas that can give them in life orientation. This idea continued to Lossius in his Encyclopaedia. He processed in the knowledge of his time and explained it to concrete examples of how scientific experiments or he described various philosophical views on relevant issues. In this way, everyone can get an idea itself, he said. To assess this confidence in the ability of each person 's own body sensations corresponding to people and situations applicable, he commented with a quote from Locke: It is very unlikely that ' God was so frugal with his gifts to the people that he was content to only creatures with two legs produce, but to make the care of their rational creatures, to Aristotle should have left.
Reactions and effects
The great metaphysician of his time had to philosophical ideas on how Lossius and others they spread, not much left. Hegel and Kant said they were " popular philosophy ", which ignored important problems of philosophy from their perspective. Kant drew neurophysiological views in the light of determinism. Physiological knowledge of people would see the freedom of man. This could only establish its pragmatic anthropology. Body -related justifications of morality Kant held for " pathological ". "If eudaimonia ... is set up instead of the Eleutheronomie ( the Freiheitsprincips the inner legislation) to the basic proposition, so is the result of euthanasia ( the gentle death ) of all morality. " Today express philosophers who consider neurophysiological findings to be unsuitable for philosophical developments, among other things, that one should not mix the different perspectives of each philosophy and natural sciences. Keep neurophysiological claims for " insolence " and make " category mistake ".
The mathematician and educator Ephraim Salomon Unger attended continuously for three years the philosophical lectures of Lossius. He founded in 1820 together with his brother, a private school, the scientific content mediated in relation to the things with which people communicate. 1844 this idea of junior high school was taken over by the large demand of the citizens of the city of Erfurt in a public school. Other cities in Thuringia were also followed the initiative Ungers.
Works
- Physical causes of truth. In 1775. Completely at Google.
- Hannibal: a physiognomic fragment., 1776.
- Teaching of sound reason. 1777.
- Recent philosophical literature. In 1780. Completely at Google.
- Something about Kantian philosophy in terms of the proof of the existence of God., 1789.
- New general philosophical real- Lexikon.1803. Completely at Google.
- The Gall's phrenology in critischer, psychological and moral Hinsicht.1808.