Franz Xaver von Baader
Franz von Baader (27 March 1765 – 23 May 1841), born Benedikt Franz Xaver Baader, was a
He was one of the most influential theologians of his age but his influence on subsequent philosophy has been less marked, and tends to be submerged into the esoteric discussions of later thinkers rather than cited explicitly in major publications. A notable exception to this tendency appears in the correspondence and later explication of the origins of Walter Benjamin and Gershom Scholem's mystical project published after Benjamin's death where both Baader and Molitor are cited as catalytic to their exploration of the Kabbalah.[1][2][3] An exemplar of the tendency to conceal Baader's influence shows up at an importance juncture in the thought of Martin Heidegger: Both Benjamin and Heidegger begin with similar problems derived from a revisitation of major issues in early scholastic thought in the 1913 seminar of Heinrich Rickert—a terrain towards which Baader points the way, and leaves his mark on the formulations of both Benjamin and Heidegger. Heidegger (characteristically) does not cite Baader's work directly: rather, his terminology and manner of speaking about the problem of evil suggest that he read Baader on this subject, tracing Schelling's formulations on theodicy to their roots in Baader on his way to the primary documents of Duns Scotus.[4][5][6]
Today Baader is thought to have re-introduced theological engagement with
Life
Benedikt Franz Xaver Baader
Franz' two older brothers were both distinguished men. Clemens Alois Andreas Baader[lower-alph 3] (8 April 1762 – 23 March 1838) was an author. Joseph Anton Ignaz Baader (30 September 1763 – 20 November 1835) was an engineer.[13]
Franz studied medicine at Ingolstadt and Vienna, and for a short time assisted his father in his medical practice. However, Franz soon discovered that life as a physician did not suit him, and he decided to become a mining engineer instead.[9] He studied under Abraham Gottlob Werner at Freiberg, travelled through several of the mining districts in north Germany, and resided in England from 1792 to 1796.[9]
In England, Franz von Baader became acquainted with the
Their friendship continued till about the year 1822, when Baader's denunciation of modern philosophy in his letter to Tsar Alexander I entirely alienated Schelling. During this time, Baader continued to apply himself to his profession.[15]
He gained a prize of 12,000
In 1826, when the new university was opened in Munich, he was appointed professor of philosophy and speculative theology. He published some of his lectures there in 4 parts from 1827 to 1836 under the title Spekulative Dogmatik.[16]
His 1831 "Forty Sentences from a Religious Erotic" was dedicated to Emilie Linder, a Munich painter.[17]
In 1838, he publicly opposed the interference of the
Philosophy
It is difficult to summarize Baader's philosophy, for he expressed his deepest thoughts in obscure aphorisms or mystical symbols and analogies.[16][18] His doctrines are mostly expounded in short detached essays, in comments on the writings of Böhme and St-Martin, or in his extensive correspondence and journals.[19] However, there are salient points which mark the outline of his thought. Baader starts from the position that human reason by itself can never reach the end it aims at and maintains that we cannot throw aside the presuppositions of faith, church, and tradition. His point of view may be described as Scholasticism, since like the Scholastics he believed that theology and philosophy are not opposed but that reason has to make clear the truths given by authority and revelation.[16] In his attempts to draw the realms of faith and knowledge still closer, however, he approaches the mysticism of Meister Eckhart, Paracelsus, and Böhme.[16] Our existence depends upon God's cognition of us.[19][lower-alph 5] All self-consciousness is at the same time God-consciousness, and all knowledge is knowing with, consciousness of, or participation in God.[16]
Theology
Baader's philosophy is thus essentially a form of
Created beings were originally of three orders: the intelligent or
His system of
Baader was regarded as among the greatest speculative theologians of 19th-century
Politics
Baader argued that two things were requisite in the state: common submission to the ruler (without which there would be civil war or invasion) and inequality of rank (without which there would be no organization).[21] As Baader considered God alone to be the true ruler of mankind, he argued that loyalty to a government can only be secured or given when it was truly Christian;[21] he opposed despotism, socialism, liberalism equally.[21] His idea state was a civil community ruled by the Catholic Church, whose principles opposed both passive and irrational pietism and the excessively rational doctrines of Protestantism.[21]
Gender issues
One of Baader's central ideas is his concept of androgyny:
The Androgyne is the harmonious fusion of the sexes, resulting in a certain asexuality, a synthesis which creates an entirely new being, and which does not merely juxtapose the two sexes 'in an enflamed opposition' as the hermaphrodite does.
Following the literal wording of the first of
The secret and the sacrament of true love in the indissoluble bond of the two lovers, consists in each helping the other, each in himself, towards the restoration of the androgyne, the pure and whole humanity.
Ultimately Christ's sacrifice will make possible a restoration of the primal androgyny. Baader believed that primordial androgyny would return as the world neared its end.[22]
Works
Several years after his death, Baader's works were collected and edited by a number of his disciples. This was published in 16 volumes at Leipzig between 1851 and 1860, organized by topic.[23] Vol. I dealt with epistemology, Vol. II with metaphysics, Vol. III with natural philosophy, Vol. IV with anthropology, Vols. V & VI with social philosophy, Vols. VII through X with philosophy of religion, Vol. XI with Baader's diaries, Vol. XII with his commentaries on St-Martin, Vol. XIII with his commentaries on Böhme, Vol. XIV with time, and Vol. XV with his biography and correspondence.[23] Vol. XVI contained an index to the others, as well as an able sketch of his system by Lutterbeck.[21] Valuable introductions by the editors are prefixed to the several volumes.[21]
- Texte zur Naturphilosophie (1792–1808). Historisch-kritische kommentierte Ausgabe. Herausgegeben von Alberto Bonchino. Leiden/Paderborn 2021 (= Franz von Baader: Ausgewählte Werke, Bd. 1), ISBN 978-3-657-77937-6
- Texte zur Mystik und Theosophie (1808–1818). Historisch-kritische kommentierte Ausgabe. Herausgegeben von Alberto Bonchino. Leiden/Paderborn 2021 (= Franz von Baader: Ausgewählte Werke, Bd. 2), ISBN 978-3-657-78075-4
- Fermenta Cognitionis (1822–1825). Historisch-kritische kommentierte Ausgabe. Herausgegeben von Alberto Bonchino. Leiden/Paderborn 2024 (= Franz von Baader: Ausgewählte Werke, Bd. 3), ISBN 978-3-657-79027-2
- Vorlesungen über speculative Dogmatik (1828–1838). Historisch-kritische kommentierte Ausgabe. Herausgegeben von Alberto Bonchino. Leiden/Paderborn 2024 (= Franz von Baader: Ausgewählte Werke, Bd. 4), ISBN 978-3-657-79028-9
Notes
- ^ His first name is spelled "Josef" in some records.[citation needed]
- ^ In some records her middle name is spelled "Rosalie." Also, in some records her last name is spelled "von Schöpff". She was a daughter of Johann Adam von Schöpf (1702 – 10 January 1772).[citation needed]
- ^ In some records, Clemens's middle name is spelled "Aloys" or "Aloysius".[citation needed]
- ^ On Baader's influence on and friendship with Schelling and the reasons for their eventual break with one another, see Zovko.[14]
- cogito ergo sum.
- ^ Scholem, Gershom (1980). ""A Candid Letter on My Intentions in Studying Kabbalah"(addressed to Salman Schocken, 1926)". On the Possibility of Jewish Mysticism in Our Time. Schocken. pp. 1–3.
- ^ Scholem, Gershom (1980). "How I Came To Kabbalah". On the Possibility of Jewish Mysticism in Our Time. Schocken. pp. 4–12.
- ^ Benjamin, Walter (1978). "The Language of Man and Language as Such". Reflections. Schocken. pp. 314–332.
- .
- ISBN 978-0-253-02163-2.
- ^ Heidegger, Martin (2022) [1915]. The Theory of Categories and Meaning in Duns Scotus. Indiana University.
- ISBN 978-0-226-40336-6.
- ^ Abashnik 2010.
- ^ a b c d Adamson 1878, p. 173.
- ^ Hoffman 1857, pp. 1–3.
- ^ Grassl 1953, pp. 474.
- ^ Hoffman 1857, p. 3.
- ^ Hoffman 1857, pp. 4–5.
- ^ Zovko 1996, pp. 86–139, 191–269, 270–312.
- ^ Adamson 1878, pp. 173–174.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Adamson 1878, p. 174.
- ^ Historische Commission bei der königl. Akademie der Wissenschaften (1883), "Linder, Emilie", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, Bd. 18, Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1. ed.), München/Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, p. 697, retrieved 2021-04-02
- ^ Zeller, Eduard, Ges. d. deut. Phil. (in German), pp. 732, 736
- ^ a b c Giles 1911, p. 88.
- ^ Adamson 1878, pp. 174–175.
- ^ a b c d e f g Adamson 1878, p. 175.
- ^ Dynes 1990, p. 57.
- ^ a b Hoffman 1851–1860.
References
- Abashnik, Vladimir (2010), "Benedikt Franz Xaver von Baader", in Klemme, Heiner F.; Kuehn, Manfred (eds.), The Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century German Philosophers, vol. I, London: Continuum International Publishing, pp. 39–43.
- Adamson, Robert (1878), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 3 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp. 173–175 , in Baynes, T. S. (ed.),
- Dynes, Wayne R. (1990), "Androgyny" (PDF), in Dynes, Wayne R. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Homosexuality, vol. I, New York: Garland Publishing, pp. 56–58
- Grassl, Hans (1953), "Baader, Benedikt Franz Xaver von", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1 (online ed.), pp. 474–476, idn: 118505378
- Hoffman, Franz Karl (1857), Franz von Baaders Biographie und Briefwechsel [Franz von Baader's Biography and Correspondence] (in German), Leipzig: Verlag von Herrmann Bethmann, reprinting Vol. XV of Baader's collected works as a separate volume
- Hoffman, Franz Karl; et al., eds. (1851–1860), Baaders Sämmtliche Werke [Baader's Complete Works] (in German), Leipzig: Verlag von Herrmann Bethmann
- Zovko, Marie-Élise (1996), Natur und Gott: Das wirkungsgeschichtliche Verhältnis Schellings und Baaders, Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, ISBN 978-3-8260-1187-0
Attribution
- public domain: Giles, Peter (1911), "Baader, Franz Xaver von", in Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 3 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 87–88 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
- Franz Hoffmann (1875), "Baader, Franz von", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 713–725
- Catholic Encyclopedia. 1913. .
- Friesen, J. Glenn, Studies related to Franz von Baader & (in German)