Otto Casmann (1562 – 1 August 1607) (also known by the Latinized name ''Casmannus'') was a German

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

who converted from

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

as a young man.

Biography

Casmann started studying philosophy at the

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the worl ...

in 1581 under the guidance of Rudolf Goclenius the Elder. From September 1582 he studied

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 s ...

and

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 ...

at the

University of Helmstedt The University of Helmstedt (german: Universität Helmstedt; official Latin name: ''Academia Julia'', "Julius University"), was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810. History Founded ...

, where he earned a Magister degree. In 1587, he enrolled at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. Casmann started teaching at Helmstedt, where he gave lectures on

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

in which he clearly spoke out against the teachings of the Aristotelian system. In 1589, Casmann joined the

Schüttorf Schüttorf (Northern Low Saxon: ''Schüttrup'') is a town in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in southwesternmost Lower Saxony near the Dutch border and the boundary with Westphalia (North Rhine-Westphalia). The town of Schüttorf forms with th ...

Trivial School, which in 1591 was moved to

Steinfurt Steinfurt (; Westphalian: ''Stemmert'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt. From roughly 1100-1806, it was the capital of the County of Steinfurt. Geography Steinfurt is situated north ...

and expanded to the academic ''Gymnasium Illustre''. At Steinfurt he taught philosophy and anthropology. In 1594, Casmann obtained an appointment for the post of rector in

Stade Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is ...

, where the City Council had set up a '' Gymnasium''. In Stade, Casmann taught philosophy and theology, specializing in logic and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancient w ...

. Otto Casmann died on 1 August 1607 in Stade when he was 45 years old. He was survived by his wife and three daughters.

Anthropology and psychology

Casmann is important to the history of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

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 ...

. He began the separation of these two subjects from the Aristotelian framework of

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of consci ...

, becoming a classical representative of the secularization of science in the early modern period. During his time at Steinfurt he produced the work ''Psychologia Anthropologica, sive doctrina animae Humanae'' (Hanau, 1594). There he consolidated the use of the term "anthropology" coined by

Magnus Hundt Magnus Hundt or Magnus Canis (1449 in Magdeburg – 1519 in Meißen), also known as Parthenopolitanus, was a German philosopher, physician and theologian. Hundt coined the term anthropology, and he and Otto Casmann have been mentioned as founders ...

(1449-1519). During his time in Stade, he wrote the second volume of ''Psychologia Anthropologica'' (Hanau, 1596) in which he described the construction of the human body. In 1594, Casmann defined anthropology as "the doctrine of human nature. Human nature is an essence partaking of two worlds, the spiritual and the corporeal, yet united in one vehicle."In Latin: ''Anthropologia est doctrina humanae naturae. Humana natura est geminae naturae mundanae, spiritualis et corpareae, in unum hyphistamenon unitae particeps essentia''. See This definition is still considered valid today.

References

Sources

* D. Mahnke: ''Rektor Casmann in Stade: ein vergessener Gegner aristotelischer Philosophie und Naturwissenschaftler im 16. Jahrhundert'' (Rector Casmann in Stade: a forgotten opponent of Aristotelian philosophy and a natural scientist in the 16th century). Archiv für die Geschichte der Naturwissenschaft und der Technik, 5 (1913), 183–97, 226–40, 352–63 *

External links

Biography of Otto Casmann
* Forshaw, Pete
(2017)
‘Casmann, Otto', in Marco Sgarbi (ed.), ''Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy''. Springer International Publishing {{DEFAULTSORT:Casmann, Otto 16th-century philosophers German philosophers 1562 births 1607 deaths 16th-century German writers 16th-century German male writers 16th-century Latin-language writers