Kristian Birch-Reichenwald Aars (25 September 1868 – 4 August 1917) was a Norwegian academic. Originally educated as a

theologian 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 ...

, he soon switched to philosophy and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

Personal life

He was born in Christiania as a son of educator Jacob Jonathan Aars (1837–1908) and his wife Anna Ernesta Birch-Reichenwald (1838–1919). He was the brother of architect Harald Aars, and a grandson of Christian Birch-Reichenwald. He was also a grandnephew of priest and politician Jens Aars and a second cousin of writer Sophus Christian Munk Aars. Between 1895 and 1910 he was married to Marna Aall (1873–1948). During that time he was a brother-in-law of

Anathon Aall Anathon August Fredrik Aall (15 August 1867 – 9 January 1943) was a Norwegian academic, philosopher and psychologist. Originally educated as a theologian, he became a professor of philosophy at University of Oslo. Background He was born at Nes ...

and Herman Harris Aall. Anathon Aall biographed him in the first volume of the first edition of the

biographical dictionary A biographical dictionary is a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in ''Who's Who'', or deceased people onl ...

Norsk biografisk leksikon is the largest Norwegian biographical encyclopedia. The first edition (NBL1) was issued between 1921 and 1983, including 19 volumes and 5,100 articles. It was published by Aschehoug with economic support from the state. bought the rights to ...

''. In a later marriage, Marna Aall became mother-in-law of astronomer Rolf Brahde.

Career

Aars

finished Finished may refer to: * ''Finished'' (novel), a 1917 novel by H. Rider Haggard * ''Finished'' (film), a 1923 British silent romance film * "Finished" (short story), a science fiction short story by L. Sprague de Camp See also *Finishing (disa ...

his secondary education in 1887, and graduated from the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

with the degree cand.theol. in 1892. After completing his education in theology, he shifted to philosophy. He studied abroad from 1894, and was a

research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, a research institute or a privately held organization, for the purpose of assisting in academic or private research. Research assistants are not in ...

under Götz Martius and Angelo Mosso. He took the dr.philos. degree in 1897 with the thesis ''Die Autonomie der Moral'', and in the next year he was elected as a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Unive ...

. From 1900 to 1914 he was a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

at the Royal Frederick University. His main works were ''Zur psychologischen Analyse der Welt. Projektionsphilosophie'' (1900) and ''Gut und Böse. Zur Psychologie der Moralgefühle'' (1907), both written in the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

. He did not only hold lectures in philosophy, but also in experimental psychology and

epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Epis ...

. He saw knowledge in experimental psychology as a precondition for research in philosophy. He requested the establishment of a Department of Psychology at the Royal Frederick University, but it took more than ten years before this wish materialized. The person behind the new Department was Anathon Aall, who headed it until 1937. Aars struggled with heavy

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

for much of his life. He died in August 1917 in Kristiania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aars, Kristian 1868 births 1917 deaths Norwegian philosophers Norwegian psychologists University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters