Heinrich August Ritter (; 21 November 1791 – 3 February 1869) was a German

philosopher 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 ...

and

historian of philosophy The history of philosophy is the systematic study of the development of Philosophy, philosophical thought. It focuses on philosophy as rational inquiry based on argumentation, but some theorists also include myth, Religion, religious traditions ...

. He was born in

Zerbst Zerbst () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is sit ...

, and studied philosophy and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

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 ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

until 1815. In 1824 he became an associate professor of philosophy at Berlin, later transferring to

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, where he occupied the chair of philosophy from 1833 to 1837. He then accepted a similar position at the

, where he remained till his death.

Friedrich Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; ; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed Church, Reformed theology, theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Age o ...

was a major influence in his thinking.ADB:Ritter, Heinrich
In:

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB; ) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences between 1875 and 1912 in 56 volumes, printed in Lei ...

(ADB). Band 28, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, S. 673 f.

Works

Ritter's chief work was a history of philosophy (''Geschichte der Philosophie'') published in twelve volumes at

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

from 1829 to 1853. This work was the product of a wide and thorough knowledge of the subject aided by an impartial critical faculty, and its value was underscored by its translation into almost all the languages of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. He wrote also accounts of ancient schools of philosophy, such as the

Ionians The Ionians (; , ''Íōnes'', singular , ''Íōn'') were one of the traditional four major tribes of Ancient Greece, alongside the Dorians, Aeolians, and Achaeans. The Ionian dialect was one of the three major linguistic divisions of the ...

, the

Pythagoreans Pythagoreanism originated in the 6th century BC, based on and around the teachings and beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek co ...

and the

Megarians Megara (; , ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Meg ...

. Beside these important historical works, he published a large number of treatises of which the following may be mentioned: * ''Abriss der philosophischen Logik'' (1824). * ''Geschichte der Philosophie'' (1829–1853; 2nd edition, vols. i–iv, 1836–1838) — its 1st section, "Geschichte der philosophie alter zeit", was translated into English by Alexander J.W. Morrison and published as
''The history of ancient philosophy''
(1838–46). * ''Ueber das Verhältnis der Philosophie zum Leben'' (1835). * ''Historia philosophiae Graeco-Romanae'' (in collaboration with Ludwig Preller, 1838; 7th edition, 1888). * ''Kleine philosophische Schriften'' (1839–1840). * ''Versuch zur Verständigung über die neueste deutsche Philosophie seit Kant'' (1853). * ''System der Logik und Metaphysik'' (1856). * ''Die christliche Philosophie bis auf die neuesten Zeiten'' (2 volumes, 1858–1859). * ''Encyklopädie der philosophischen Wissenschaften'' (1862–1864). * ''Ernest Renan, über die Naturwissenschaften und die Geschichte'' (1865). * ''Ueber das Böse und seine Folgen'' (1869).

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Heinrich 1791 births 1869 deaths People from Zerbst 19th-century German philosophers University of Göttingen alumni Academic staff of the University of Göttingen Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Academic staff of the University of Kiel German male writers