Johann Bernhard Basedow
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Johann Bernhard Basedow (11 September 1724 – 25 July 1790) was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
educational reformer, teacher and writer. He founded the Philanthropinum, a short-lived but influential progressive school in
Dessau Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...
, and was the author of "''Elementarwerk''", a popular illustrated textbook for children.


Early life

Basedow was born in
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
, the son of a
wig A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...
maker. His father (Heinrich Basedau) has been described as "severe almost to brutality", and his mother, Anna Maria Leonhard, as suffering from "melancholy almost to madness", which made his childhood a less than happy one. It was planned that he should follow his father's profession, but, at the age of 14, he ran away from home, finding employment as a servant of a country physician in
Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...
. His employer recognized Johann's extraordinary intellectual gifts and sent him back home to his parents with a letter which persuaded them to allow their son to be schooled at the Johanneum in Hamburg.Lang, 1891 Here, Johann came under the influence of the rationalist H.S. Reimarus (1694–1768), author of the famous ''Wolfenbütteler Fragmente'', published by Lessing. In 1744, Basedow went to the
University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
as a student of
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
, but turned instead to the study of
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
, being particularly influenced by Wolff's "Philosophy of Reason". This made him examine his own
Christian faith Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popul ...
, arriving at a position that was "in a centre between Christianism and naturalism". Thus, he rejected his clerical vocation and turned instead to radicalism and reformism. He was the grandfather of Karl Adolph von Basedow.


Teacher and academic

Between 1749 and 1753, Basedow was a private tutor to the son of Herr von Quaalen, a nobleman living in Borghorst,
Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...
. He developed new teaching methods based on conversation and play with the child, and a program of physical development. Such was his success that he wrote a treatise on his methods, "''On the best and hitherto unknown method of teaching children of noblemen''", which he presented to the
University of Kiel Kiel University, officially the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, (german: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in ...
in 1752, and obtained the degree of Master of Arts. In 1753, he was appointed professor of
moral philosophy Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...
and ''
belles-lettres is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pejora ...
'' at
Sorø Academy Sorø Academy ( Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated b ...
in
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. He proved to be a very popular teacher and was also called on to lecture on Theology. However, his fearless, anti-establishment views and the publication of a book in 1758, "Practische Philosophie" ("Practical Philosophy"), in which he expounded his unorthodox religious position, led, in 1761, to his removal from this post and transfer to Altona; here his published works brought him into conflict with the orthodox clergy. He was forbidden to give further instruction, but did not lose his salary; and, towards the end of 1767, he abandoned theology to devote himself with the same ardour to education, of which he conceived the project of a general reform in Germany.


The Elementary Book and Philanthropinum

In 1768, strongly influenced by
Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
's ideas on education in '' Emile'', Basedow published a book, ''Vorstellung an Menschenfreunde für Schulen, nebst dem Plan eines Elementarbuches der menschlichen Erkenntnisse'' ("Idea to philanthropists for schools, along with the plan of an elementary book of human knowledge"). He proposed the reform of schools and of the common methods of instruction, the establishment of an institute for qualifying teachers and solicited subscriptions for the printing of a new, illustrated, book, '' Elementarwerk'' ("Elementary Book"), where his principles were to be explained at length. He realized it is the responsibility of all of society to support these important education reforms intended to improve the quality of teaching, remove brutal treatment of students in all forms and replace it with compassion and understanding, and the introduction of new teaching materials and books to help students learn. He proposed his reform project to wealthy individuals who he knew were interested in helping humanity and soon received financial support. Initially he gathered over twenty thousand thalers and in 1774 he was able to publish Elementarwerk in four volumes, with illustrations by
Daniel Chodowiecki Daniel Niklaus Chodowiecki (16 October 1726 – 7 February 1801) was a German painter and printmaker of Huguenot and Polish ancestry, who is most famous as an etcher. He spent most of his life in Berlin, and became the director of the Berlin Acad ...
. The Elementarwerk contained a complete system of primary education, intended to develop the intelligence of the pupils and to bring them, so far as possible, into contact with realities, not with mere words; it was the first picture textbook for children to be published since the "
Orbis Pictus ''Orbis Pictus'', or ''Orbis Sensualium Pictus'' (''Visible World in Pictures''), is a textbook for children written by Czech educator John Amos Comenius and published in 1658. It was the first widely used children's textbook with pictures, ...
" of
Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considere ...
in 1664. There was also a companion "''Methodenbuch''" (Method Book) to assist teachers and parents. This financial support from "friends of humanity" (
Philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
= love of humanity), established Basedow as the founder of the philanthropic movement and he developed the first philanthropic concept. Philanthropy was integral to the forwarding of the education reform movement and could not have been successful otherwise. Basedow was a friend of
Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
, and through him made the acquaintance of Prince Franz of Anhalt-Dessau, who became a firm supporter of Basedow's plans for educational reform and agreed to back the founding of a new school, the ''Philanthropinum'', in Dessau. The school opened in December 1774, its keynote being "everything according to nature". Rich and poor were to be educated together, the curriculum was practically-based and conducted in German (rather than Latin or Greek), handicrafts were taught, there was an emphasis on games and physical exercise, and school uniform was made simple and more comfortable. Although the school was open for only a relatively short time until 1793, its reforming influence proved to be considerable and inspired the founding of many similar institutions in Germany and abroad.Duggan, 1916.


Later life

Basedow, unfortunately, was not disposed by nature or habit to succeed in an employment which required the greatest regularity, patience and attention; his temper was intractable, and his management of the Philanthropinum was one long quarrel with his colleagues. He resigned his directorship of the institution in 1778. Basedow Married Gertrude Elizabeth Hammer. He had many children including Christine Henriette Louise von Basedow (who died at birth), Antonie Luise Emilie von Basedow, Ludwig von Basedow, and Henriech Josias von Basedow Basedow died in
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
in 1790.


See also

* Philanthropinum *
Philanthropinism Philanthropinism (also philanthropism) comes from the Greek φίλος (friend) and άνθρωπος (human). It was an educational reform movement in the Age of Enlightenment in the German-speaking area, established in the second half of the eigh ...


References


Bibliography

Books by Basedow: *
Philalethes: Neue Aussichten in die Wahrheiten und Religion der Vernunft bis in die Gränzen der glaubwürdigen Offenbarung
' (Iversen, 1764). 2 vols.
Johann Bernhard Basedows bewiesene Grundsätze der reinen Mathematik: bd. Geometrie und etwas von dem unendlichen
(Bey S. L. Crusius, 1774). *
Bernhards aus Nordalbingien (oder Basedows) Vermächtniss für die Gewissen
' (Gedruckt bey Heinrich Heybruch, 1774). *
Praktische Philosophie für alle Stände
' (Crusius, 1777). 2 vols. About Basedow and his work: *Meier, Johann Christian.
Johann Bernhard Basedow: Leben Charakter und Schriften
' (Hoffmann, 1791). 2 vols. *Rathmann, Heinrich. ''Beiträge zur Lebensgeschichte Joh. Bernh. Basedows'' (Pansa, 1791) *Lang, Ossian Herbert.
Basedow, his educational work and principles
(New York, Kellogg, 1891). *Quick, Robert Hebert.
Essays on educational reformers
' (New York D. Appleton, 1893) pp. 273-289. *Diestelmann, Richard. ''Johann Bernhard Basedow'' (R. Voigtländer's Verlag, 1897). *Swet, Kurt.
Beiträge zur lebensgeschichte und pädagogik Joh. Bernh. Basedows
' (Zwickau, Druck von C. A. Günther nachfolger, 1898). *Graves, Frank Pierrepont.
Great Educators of Three Centuries. Their Work and Its Influence on Modern Education
' (Macmillan, 1912, ) p. 112 ff. *Duggan, Stephen.
A student's textbook in the history of education
' (New York, D. Appleton, 1916) pp. 216–9. *Cubberley, Ellwood Patterson.
Readings in the history of education
' (Boston, New York tc.
Houghton Mifflin Company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Boston Financ ...
, 1920) pp. 436–9. *Reble, A. ''Johann Bernhard Basedow'' (Schöningh, 1965).


External links


Biography
(Answers.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Basedow, Johann Bernhard 1724 births 1790 deaths 18th-century German educators German philosophers German male writers People educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums German educational theorists