A Teacher
Eduard von Hartmann
He elevated the Unconscious from a psychological quirk to the hidden metaphysical will steering the whole of reality.
The transmission
Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann (1842–1906) was a German metaphysical philosopher known as ‘the philosopher of the unconscious.’ His major work, Die Philosophie des Unbewussten (Philosophy of the Unconscious, 1869), became widely read across Europe and made the Unconscious a central metaphysical principle.
He sought to synthesize Schopenhauer’s irrational Will with Hegel’s rational Idea, treating both as aspects of one unconscious absolute. His pessimistic yet developmental view of the world process drew both popularity and sharp critique in his era.
What they gave
Metaphysics of the Unconscious: In ‘Philosophy of the Unconscious’ (1869) elevated the Unconscious from a psychological quirk to a central metaphysical first principle.
- Will and Idea fused: Synthesized Schopenhauer’s irrational Will with Hegel’s rational Idea, treating both as aspects of a single unconscious absolute.
- A developmental pessimism: Advanced a pessimistic yet developmental view of the world process that drew both wide popularity and sharp critique across Europe.
The line they stand in
Taught by / Influenced by: Arthur Schopenhauer’s Will; the dialectical idealism of Hegel; the nature-philosophy of Schelling.
- Taught / Influenced: Sigmund Freud; Carl Jung; Friedrich Nietzsche.
Revelations they taught
Essential Works
- Philosophy of the Unconscious1869