Jonael Angelus Schickler (1976–2002) was a Swiss philosopher who died in a rail crash in England at the age of 25.

Life

Schickler was born in

Dornach : ''Dornach is also a quarter of the French city of Mulhouse and the Scots name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands, and Dòrnach is the Gaelic name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands.'' Dornach (Swiss German: ''Dornech'') is a municipalit ...

, Switzerland. His family later moved to Forest Row, East Sussex, and he attended Michael Hall, the

Rudolf Steiner school Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical skil ...

located there. At the age of sixteen he attended

Sevenoaks School Sevenoaks School is a highly selective coeducational independent school in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. It is the second oldest non-denominational school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432, only behind Oswestry (1407). Over 1,000 day pupils ...

. In 1994, he travelled to India and Nepal and on his return, matriculated at

Sidney Sussex College Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wife ...

, Cambridge, where he read Social and Political Sciences. Soon, however, Schickler decided to change to Philosophy. He graduated with a First and, after a year as a cellist with a Berlin orchestra, Schickler returned to Cambridge (

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

) to read for a Doctorate in the Faculty of Divinity, under the supervision of

George Pattison George Pattison (born 1950) is a retired English theologian and Anglican priest. His last post prior to retirement was as Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow. He was previously Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University ...

. Schickler began supervising undergraduates early in his doctoral career and he was appointed Director of Studies in Philosophy at

Hughes Hall, Cambridge Hughes Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. It is the oldest of the University of Cambridge's postgraduate colleges. The college also admits undergraduates, though undergraduates admitted by the college must b ...

in 2001. On 10 May 2002, Schickler was killed in the

Potters Bar rail crash There have been four railway accidents at Potters Bar (England). Those in 1898 and 1946 were signals passed at danger. The accident in 2002 led to substantial public debate and a national change in policy relating to maintenance of infrastruct ...

.University of Cambridge, ''News and events'', 13 May 2002. . Retrieved 19 November 2012.

Philosophical work

At the time of his death, Schickler left behind the completed manuscript of his doctorate as well as the article ''Death and Life in Modern Thinking'', and a large quantity of unpublished material. In November 2004, his thesis was published in German under the title ''Metaphysik als Christologie'', edited by Peter von Ruckteschell and published by Koenigshausen and Neumann. The thesis appeared in English in December 2005, edited by Nick Green and Fraser Watts and published by Ashgate Publishing, under the title ''Metaphysics as Christology: An Odyssey of the Self from Kant and Hegel to Steiner''.Jonael Schickler, ''Metaphysics as Christology. An Odyssey of the Self from Kant and Hegel to Steiner'', Ashgate, 2005, ''

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 conscio ...

Christology In Christianity, Christology (from the Ancient Greek, Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, wiktionary:-λογία, -λογία, wiktionary:-logia, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Chr ...

'' is part of a larger project in which Schickler was engaged when he died to demonstrate an organic continuity and development between Aristotelian

ontology In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...

, the ' Kantian turn' and

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...

ian dialectic, reaching its fulfilment in the work of Rudolf Steiner. Two other parts of the project exist in complete, albeit unpublished form, ''From Dialectic to Phenomenology'' and ''Aristotle: Man and Metaphysics'', and may be published in the future. Other planned parts of the project for which only notes exist are: ''Phenomenology and Depth Psychology'' (which was to discuss Nietzsche, Heidegger,

Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrians, Austrian-British people, British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy o ...

and

Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...

), ''Structural Phenomenology'' (an idea taken from Herbert Witzenmann), and ''The Recovery of Nature'' (which included an assessment of the prospects for a rebirth of alchemy). In ''Metaphysics as Christology'', Schickler examines the key philosophical problems with which Kant and Hegel grappled, and finds in the work of Rudolf Steiner the essence of a solution to them; he claims that Steiner returned to Hegel's philosophical problems but was better able to solve them. Schickler uses these philosophical debates about knowledge and truth to understand the significance of Christ.Martin Wendte (2007)
Review of Metaphysics as Christology. An Odyssey of the Self from Kant and Hegel to Steiner
''

Ars Disputandi ''Ars Disputandi'' (Latin: the art of debate) was an online peer-reviewed academic journal of the philosophy of religion that was established in 2001 and published by Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerl ...

'', 7 As theologian Martin Wendte describes, Schickler's "general ontology, according to his philosophical thesis, implies a theological

telos Telos (; ) is a term used by philosopher Aristotle to refer to the final cause of a natural organ or entity, or of a work of human art. Intentional actualization of potential or inherent purpose,"Telos.''Philosophy Terms'' Retrieved 3 May 2020. ...

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...

. In effect, Schickler presents an onto-theo-logy, or, as his title has it: ''Metaphysics as Christology''." Building on the work of

, Schickler argues that Christ has made possible the developments in human

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

that restore

humanity Humanity most commonly refers to: * Humankind the total population of humans * Humanity (virtue) Humanity may also refer to: Literature * Humanity (journal), ''Humanity'' (journal), an academic journal that focuses on human rights * ''Humanity: A ...

's relationship to the surrounding world. Fraser Watts contributed the Foreword and George Pattison an extensive Preface. Watts commented at the time of Schickler's death,

References

External links

Jonael Schickler in Forschungsstelle Kulturimpuls

Website of Thomas Schickler

BBC News report on Potter’s Bar rail crash 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schickler, Jonael 1976 births 2002 deaths People from Dorneck District Anthroposophists 20th-century Swiss philosophers People educated at Sevenoaks School Waldorf school alumni Railway accident deaths in England Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Swiss expatriates in the United Kingdom People from Forest Row