Feuerhalle Simmering - Urnenhain - Rudolf Eisler

Rudolf Eisler (7 January 1873 – 14 December 1926) was an Austrian philosopher.

Biography

Rudolf Eisler was born in Vienna to a family of wealthy Jewish

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

s.Michael Haas, ''Forbidden Music: The Jewish Composers Banned by the Nazis'' (New York: Yale University Press, 2013). As a student of

Wilhelm Wundt Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (; ; 16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physiologist, philosopher, and professor, one of the fathers of modern psychology. Wundt, who distinguished psychology as a science from philosophy and biology, was t ...

, Rudolf Eisler studied philosophy at

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

and earned his Ph.D. there. Eberhardt Klemm, "'I Don't Give a Damn About This Spring'" - Hanns Eisler's Move to Berlin," in ''Hanns Eisler: A Miscellany,'' ed. David Blake (New York: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995), 1. In addition to

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 ...

, his philosophical writings, particularly those concerning phenomenalism, were largely influenced by Wundt, as well as Hermann Cohen and

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 ...

.Manfred Kuehn, "Eisler, Rudolf," in ''Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Philosophers'', ed. Stuart C. Brown, Diané Collinson and Robert Wilkinson (New York: Routledge, 1996). Upon moving back to Vienna in 1901, he and his family settled in the "Matzos Quarter," a section of the city largely composed of working-class Jews. Due to his

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...

, he was denied a teaching position at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. He found work as an editor for a series of books on philosophy and

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

for the publisher Werner Klinkhardt. His ''Grundlagen der Philosophie des Geisteslebens'' (''Foundations of the Philosophy of the Spiritual Life'', 1908) was an installment of that series. In 1907, along with the

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

Max Adler, he founded the Vienna Sociological Society. Eisler described his philosophical ideas as "objective phenomenalism," which he articulated as a combination of

empirical realism The ''Critique of Pure Reason'' (; 1781; second edition 1787) is a book by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, in which the author seeks to determine the limits and scope of metaphysics. Also referred to as Kant's "First Critique", it was foll ...

and

transcendental idealism Transcendental idealism is a philosophical system founded by German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the 18th century. Kant's epistemological program is found throughout his '' Critique of Pure Reason'' (1781). By ''transcendental'' (a term that des ...

. With a firm understanding of the writings of Kant, his musings generally concerned the origins and construction of reality and truth. In his later years, he developed an interest in

syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...

and his writings turned to problems of

cognition Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

. His philosophical leanings were a great influence on the early education and political identities of his children and grandchildren.Georg Eisler, "My Father," in ''Hanns Eisler: A Miscellany'', ed. David Blake (New York: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995), 75.

Marriage and children

Ida Maria Fischer, the daughter of a

Lutheran 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 ...

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...

, lived with Rudolf Eisler during his studies in Leipzig. She herself was an "irregular" student at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

. She became known locally as a journalist and poet. They were married and had three children: * Ruth Fischer (11 December 1895 – 13 March 1961):

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and co-founder of the Austrian Communist Party *

Gerhart Eisler Gerhart Eisler (20 February 1897 – 21 March 1968) was a German politician, editor and journalist. Along with his sister Ruth Fischer, he was a very early member of the Austrian German Communist Party (KPDÖ) and then a prominent member of the ...

(20 February 1897 – 21 March 1968):

and prominent member of the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (, ; KPD ) was a major Far-left politics, far-left political party in the Weimar Republic during the interwar period, German resistance to Nazism, underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and minor party ...

Hanns Eisler Hanns Eisler (6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962) was a German-Austrian composer. He is best known for composing the national anthem of East Germany, for his long artistic association with Bertolt Brecht, and for the scores he wrote for films. The ...

(6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962):

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

of the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

Rudolf Eisler was cremated at

Feuerhalle Simmering Feuerhalle Simmering is a crematorium with attached urn burial ground in the Simmering (Vienna), Simmering district of Vienna, Austria. It lies at the end of an alley, directly opposite Vienna Central Cemetery's main gate. Description Opened o ...

, where also his ashes are buried.

Published works

* ''Wörterbuch der philosophichen Begriffe und Ausdrücke'', 3 volumes (''Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Expressions'', 1899, 1927, 1930). * ''Nietzsche's Erkenntnistheorie und Metaphysik. Darstellung und Kritik'' (''Nietzsche's Theory of Cognition and Metaphysics: Explanation and Criticism'', 1902). * ''Wilhelm Wundts Philosophie und Psychologie. In ihren Grundlehren dargestellt'' (''Wilhelm Wundt's Philosophy and Psychology: An Outline of Its Basic Teachings'', 1902). * ''Leib und Seele. Darstellung und Kritik der neueren Theorien des Verhältnisses zwischen physischem und psychischem Dasein'' (''Body and Soul: Explanation and Criticism of New Theories of Relationships Between Physical and Psychic Being'', 1906). * ''Einführung in die Erkenntnistheorie'' (''Introduction to Cognition Theory'', 1907). * ''Geschichte des Monismus'' (''History of Monism'', 1910). * ''Grundlagen der Philosophie des Geisteslebens'' (''Foundations of the Philosophy of the Spiritual Life'', 1908). * ''Philosophen-Lexikon: Leben, Werke, und Lehren der Denker'' (''Philosopher Lexikon: Life, Works, and Lessons of Thinkers'', 1912). * ''Kant-Lexicon: Nachschlagewerke zu Kants sämtlichen Schriften, Briefen, und handschriftlichem Nachlass'' (''Kant Lexicon: A Reference of Kant's Collected Writings, Letters, and Handwritten Accounts'', 1930). * ''Allgemeine Kulturgeschichte'' (Leipzig: Weber Verlag 1905)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eisler, Rudolf 1873 births 1926 deaths 20th-century Austrian philosophers Atheist philosophers Austrian Jews Jewish philosophers Kantian philosophers Metaphysicians Writers from Vienna Philosophers of mind 19th-century atheists 20th-century atheists Burials at Feuerhalle Simmering Leipzig University alumni