Rudolf Eisler (7 January 1873 – 14 December 1926) was an Austrian philosopher.
Biography
Rudolf Eisler was born in Vienna to a family of wealthy Jewish
merchants.
[Michael Haas, ''Forbidden Music: The Jewish Composers Banned by the Nazis'' (New York: Yale University Press, 2013).]
As a student of
Wilhelm Wundt, Rudolf Eisler studied philosophy at
Leipzig University
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 December ...
and earned his Ph.D. there.
[ Eberhardt Klemm, "'I Don't Give a Damn About This Spring'" - Hanns Eisler's Move to Berlin," in ''Hanns Eisler: A Miscellany,'' ed. David Blake (New York: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995), 1.] In addition to
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
, his philosophical writings, particularly those concerning
phenomenalism
In metaphysics, phenomenalism is the view that physical objects cannot justifiably be said to exist in themselves, but only as perceptual phenomena or sensory stimuli (e.g. redness, hardness, softness, sweetness, etc.) situated in time and in ...
, were largely influenced by Wundt, as well as
Hermann Cohen
Hermann Cohen (4 July 1842 – 4 April 1918) was a German Jewish philosopher, one of the founders of the Marburg school of neo-Kantianism, and he is often held to be "probably the most important Jewish philosopher of the nineteenth century ...
and
Edmund Husserl
, thesis1_title = Beiträge zur Variationsrechnung (Contributions to the Calculus of Variations)
, thesis1_url = https://fedora.phaidra.univie.ac.at/fedora/get/o:58535/bdef:Book/view
, thesis1_year = 1883
, thesis2_title ...
.
[Manfred Kuehn, "Eisler, Rudolf," in ''Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Philosophers'', ed. Stuart C. Brown, Diané Collinson and Robert Wilkinson (New York: Routledge, 1996).]
Upon moving back to Vienna in 1901, he and his family settled in the "Matzos Quarter," a section of the city largely composed of working-class Jews. Due to his
atheism, he was denied a teaching position at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...
.
He found work as an editor for a series of books on philosophy and
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
for the publisher Werner Klinkhardt. His ''Grundlagen der Philosophie des Geisteslebens'' (''Foundations of the Philosophy of the Spiritual Life'', 1908) was an installment of that series. In 1907, along with the
Marxist Max Adler, he founded the Vienna Sociological Society.
Eisler described his philosophical ideas as "objective phenomenalism," which he articulated as a combination of
empirical realism and
transcendental idealism
Transcendental idealism is a philosophical system founded by German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the 18th century. Kant's epistemological program is found throughout his '' Critique of Pure Reason'' (1781). By ''transcendental'' (a term that dese ...
. With a firm understanding of the writings of Kant, his musings generally concerned the origins and construction of reality and truth.
In his later years, he developed an interest in
syncretism and his writings turned to problems of
cognition.
His philosophical leanings were a great influence on the early education and political identities of his children and grandchildren.
[Georg Eisler, "My Father," in ''Hanns Eisler: A Miscellany'', ed. David Blake (New York: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995), 75.]
Marriage and children
Ida Maria Fischer, the daughter of a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...
, lived with Rudolf Eisler during his studies in Leipzig. She herself was an "irregular" student at 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 ...
. She became known locally as a journalist and poet.
They were married and had three children:
*
Ruth Fischer
Ruth Fischer (11 December 1895 – 13 March 1961) was an Austrian and German Communist, and a co-founder of the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ) in 1918. Along with her partner Arkadi Maslow, she led the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) through ...
(11 December 1895 – 13 March 1961):
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and co-founder of the
Austrian Communist Party
The Communist Party of Austria (german: Kommunistische Partei Österreichs, KPÖ) is a communist party in Austria. Established in 1918 as the Communist Party of Republic of German-Austria, German-Austria (KPDÖ), it is one of the world's oldest ...
*
Gerhart Eisler
Gerhart Eisler (20 February 1897 – 21 March 1968) was a German politician, editor and publicist. Along with his sister Ruth Fischer, he was a very early member of the Austrian German Communist Party (KPDÖ) and then a prominent member of the Co ...
(20 February 1897 – 21 March 1968):
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and prominent member of the
Communist Party of Germany
*
Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler (6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962) was an Austrian composer (his father was Austrian, and Eisler fought in a Hungarian regiment in World War I). He is best known for composing the national anthem of East Germany, for his long artisti ...
(6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962):
composer of the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
of
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
Rudolf Eisler was cremated at
Feuerhalle Simmering, where also his ashes are buried.
Published works
* ''Wörterbuch der philosophichen Begriffe und Ausdrücke'', 3 volumes (''Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Expressions'', 1899, 1927, 1930).
* ''Nietzsche's Erkenntnistheorie und Metaphysik. Darstellung und Kritik'' (''Nietzsche's Theory of Cognition and Metaphysics: Explanation and Criticism'', 1902).
* ''Wilhelm Wundts Philosophie und Psychologie. In ihren Grundlehren dargestellt'' (''Wilhelm Wundt's Philosophy and Psychology: An Outline of Its Basic Teachings'', 1902).
* ''Leib und Seele. Darstellung und Kritik der neueren Theorien des Verhältnisses zwischen physischem und psychischem Dasein'' (''Body and Soul: Explanation and Criticism of New Theories of Relationships Between Physical and Psychic Being'', 1906).
* ''Einführung in die Erkenntnistheorie'' (''Introduction to Cognition Theory'', 1907).
* ''Geschichte des Monismus'' (''History of Monism'', 1910).
* ''Grundlagen der Philosophie des Geisteslebens'' (''Foundations of the Philosophy of the Spiritual Life'', 1908).
* ''Philosophen-Lexikon: Leben, Werke, und Lehren der Denker'' (''Philosopher Lexikon: Life, Works, and Lessons of Thinkers'', 1912).
* ''Kant-Lexicon: Nachschlagewerke zu Kants sämtlichen Schriften, Briefen, und handschriftlichem Nachlass'' (''Kant Lexicon: A Reference of Kant's Collected Writings, Letters, and Handwritten Accounts'', 1930).
* ''Allgemeine Kulturgeschichte'' (Leipzig: Weber Verlag 1905)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eisler, Rudolf
1873 births
1926 deaths
20th-century Austrian philosophers
Atheist philosophers
Austrian Jews
Jewish philosophers
Kantian philosophers
Metaphysicians
Writers from Vienna
Philosophers of mind
19th-century atheists
20th-century atheists
Burials at Feuerhalle Simmering