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Adolf Bernhard Philipp Reinach (; ; 23 December 1883 – 16 November 1917) was a German philosopher, phenomenologist from the Munich phenomenology school and law theorist.


Life and work

Adolf Reinach was born into a prominent
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family in
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
, Germany, on 23 December 1883.Adolf Reinach (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
/ref> Adolf Reinach studied at the '' Ostergymnasium'' in Mainz and later entered the
University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...
in 1901 where he studied mainly
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
and
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
under
Theodor Lipps Theodor Lipps (; 28 July 1851 – 17 October 1914) was a German philosopher, known for his theory regarding aesthetics, creating the framework for the concept of ''Einfühlung'' (empathy)'','' defined as, "projecting oneself onto the object of p ...
. In the circle of Lipps' students he came in contact with Moritz Geiger, Otto Selz, Aloys Fischer and above all Johannes Daubert. From onward 1903/4 he was increasingly busy with the works of
Edmund Husserl Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl (; 8 April 1859 – 27 April 1938) was an Austrian-German philosopher and mathematician who established the school of Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology. In his early work, he elaborated critiques of histori ...
, especially his ''Logische Untersuchungen'' ('' Logical Investigations''). In 1904, Reinach obtained his doctorate in philosophy under Lipps with his work ''Über den Ursachenbegriff im geltenden Strafrecht'' (On the concept of cause in penal law). In 1905, he still intended to continue his studies in Munich (where in the meanwhile he had also befriended Alexander Pfänder), to obtain a degree in law, but then decided to go to study with Husserl at the
University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...
. In that period more students of Lipps (captained by Daubert) had decided to abandon Munich and to head for Göttingen, inspired by Husserl's works (which is referred to as the Munich invasion of Göttingen). Later in 1905, Reinach returned to Munich to complete his studies in law and then continued in 1906–07 at the
University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...
. He attended several lectures and seminars on penal law by the legal theorist Ernst Beling, by which he was quite impressed and to which he owes a great deal of inspiration of his later works. In the summer of 1907 he took the First State Examination in Law, but also went later to Göttingen to attend discussion circles with Husserl. With the support of Husserl, Reinach was able to obtain habilitation for university teaching at Göttingen in 1909. From his lectures and research, we can see that at the time he was influenced also by Anton Marty and Johannes Daubert, besides obviously and greatly by Husserl. On his turn Reinach appears to have inspired several young phenomenologists (like Wilhelm Schapp, Dietrich von Hildebrand,
Alexandre Koyré Alexandre Koyré (; ; born Alexandr Vladimirovich (or Volfovich) Koyra; 29 August 1892 – 28 April 1964), also anglicized as Alexander Koyre, was a French philosopher of Russian origin who wrote on the history and philosophy of science. ...
and
Edith Stein Edith Stein (; ; in religion Teresa Benedicta of the Cross; 12 October 1891 – 9 August 1942) was a German philosopher who converted to Catholic Church, Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmelites, Discalced Carmelite nun. Edith Stein was mu ...
) with his lectures. Besides giving an introduction to phenomenology, he lectured i.a. on
Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born  BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
and
Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works ...
. In this period, Husserl embarked on a thorough revision of his main work, the ''Logical Investigations'', and asked Reinach’s assistance in this endeavour. Moreover, in 1912 Reinach, together with Moritz Geiger and Alexander Pfänder founded the famous ''Jahrbuch für Philosophie und phänomenologische Forschung'', with Husserl as main editor. Besides his work in the area of phenomenology and philosophy in general, Reinach is credited for the development of a forerunner to the theory of
speech act In the philosophy of language and linguistics, a speech act is something expressed by an individual that not only presents information but performs an action as well. For example, the phrase "I would like the mashed potatoes; could you please pas ...
s by Austin and Searle: ''Die apriorischen Grundlagen des bürgerlichen Rechtes'' (''The A Priori Foundations of Civil Law'') is a systematic treatment of social acts as performative utterances and ''a priori'' foundations of civil law. Reinach's work was based mostly on Husserl's analysis of meaning in the ''Logical Investigations'', but also on Daubert's criticism of it. Alexander Pfänder (1870–1941) had also been doing research on commands, promises and the like in the same period. After Husserl's publication of the ''Ideen'' (Ideas) in 1913, many phenomenologists took a critical stance towards his new theories and the current of Munich phenomenology came effectively into being, as Reinach, Daubert and others chose to remain closer to Husserl's earlier work, the ''Logical investigations''. Instead of following Husserl into idealism and transcendental phenomenology, the Munich group remained a realist current. Reinach was converted to
Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
along with his wife.Teresa Benedict of the Cross Edith Stein (1891–1942)
/ref> At the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Reinach volunteered to join the army. After many battles and having received the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
, Reinach fell outside Diksmuide in Flanders on 16 November 1917. After his death,
Edith Stein Edith Stein (; ; in religion Teresa Benedicta of the Cross; 12 October 1891 – 9 August 1942) was a German philosopher who converted to Catholic Church, Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmelites, Discalced Carmelite nun. Edith Stein was mu ...
was given the task of arranging his manuscript writings. Reinach had said shortly before his death that he would only teach philosophy in the future as a means of leading men to God, and this may have been reflected in these writings. But Edith Stein was impressed by the resignation and faith of his widow. She wrote, "This was my first encounter with the Cross and the divine power it imparts to those who bear it ... it was the moment when my unbelief collapsed and Christ began to shine his light on me – Christ in the mystery of the Cross." Several years later she became a Christian and a Carmelite nun.


List of main works

*
Über den Ursachenbegriff im geltenden Strafrecht
' Leipzig: J. A. Barth 1905, English translation:
On the Concept of Causality in the Criminal Law
" Libertarian Papers 1, 35 (2009). * ''"William James und der Pragmatismus,"'' in ''Welt und Wissen. Hannoversche Blätter für Kunst, Literatur und Leben'' (198): 45–65 1910. * ''"Kants Auffassung des Humeschen Problems"'' in ''Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik'' 141: 176–209 1911. * ''"Die obersten Regeln der Vernunftschlüsse bei Kant"'' in ''Kant Studien'' 16: 214–233 1911. * ''Zur Theorie des negativen Urteils.'' in ''Münchener Philosophische Abhandlungen. Festschrift für Theodor Lipps.'' Ed. A. Pfänder. Leipzig: J. A. Barth 1911. pp. 196–254 * ''"Die Überlegung: ihre ethische und rechtliche Bedeutung I"'' in ''Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik'' 148: 181–196 1912. * ''"Die Überlegung: ihre ethische und rechtliche Bedeutung II"'' in ''Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik'' 149: 30–58 1913. * ''"Die apriorischen Grundlagen des bürgerlichen Rechtes"'' in ''Jahrbuch für Philosophie und phänomenologische Forschung'' 1: 685–847 1913. **Also as a special edition (''Sonderdruck''), Verlag von Max Niemeyer, Halle a. d. S. (pp. 1–163), 1913. **Re-edited as: ''"Zur Phänomenologie des Rechts. Die apriorischen Grundlagen des bürgerlichen Rechts"'' (with a preface by Anna Reinach)
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, Kösel, 1953. * ''"Paul Natorps 'Allgemeine Psychologie nach kritischer Methode'"'' in ''Göttingische gelehrte Anzeigen'' 4: 193–214 1914. His collected works: ''Sämtliche Werke. Kritische Ausgabe mit Kommentar'' (in two volumes) München: Philosophia Verlag 1989. Eds. K. Schuhmann & B. Smith. Some on-line texts and translations of works by Reinach are availabl
here


See also

*
Speech act In the philosophy of language and linguistics, a speech act is something expressed by an individual that not only presents information but performs an action as well. For example, the phrase "I would like the mashed potatoes; could you please pas ...


References


Further reading

* Armin Burkhardt: Soziale Akte, Sprechakte und Textillokutionen. A. Reinachs Rechtsphilosophie und die moderne Linguistik (Germanistische Linguistik; Bd. 69). Max Niemeyer Verlag, Tübingen 1986, . * Karl Schumann and Barry Smith, "Adolf Reinach: An Intellectual Biography" in K. Mulligan, ed., ''Speech Act and Sachverhalt: Reinach and the Foundations of Realist Phenomenology'', Dordrecht/Boston/Lancaster: Nijhoff, 1987, 1–27
PDF
* Kevin Mulligan (ed.), ''Speech Act and Sachverhalt. Reinach and the Foundations of Realist Phenomenology''. Dordrecht, Martinus Nijhoff, 1987. * Barry Smith, ''Towards a History of Speech Act Theory'' in A. Burkhardt (ed.), ''Speech Acts, Meanings and Intentions. Critical Approaches to the Philosophy of John R. Searle'', Berlin/New York: de Gruyter (1990), pp. 29–6
HTML
* Pierfrancesco Stagi, ''La filosofia della religione di Adolf Reinach'', Stamen University Press, Roma 2015, pp. 101.


External links

* Reinach, A.
"Concerning Phenomenology" ("Ueber