Johannes Nikolaus Tetens
Encyclopedia
Johannes Nikolaus Tetens (16 September 1736 – 17 August 1807) was a German
philosopher, statistician
and scientist
.
He has been called 'the German Hume', on the basis of a comparison of his major work Philosophische Versuche über die menschliche Natur und ihre Entwickelung (1777) with David Hume
's A Treatise of Human Nature
. He is considered to have been an influence on Immanuel Kant
.
Born 1736 in Tetenbüll (Holstein
). From 1760, he taught philosophy and physics ("natural philosophy" by that time) in the Buetzow Academy (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
). During this decade, he wrote many treatises on various subjects, ranging from the color of the sky to the existence of God through the origins of languages (see e. g. references in Johann Christian Poggendorff
, 1863). After this polygraphic formation period, Tetens goes back to more fundamental enquiries: after having read David Hume
's work, he popularized it throughout the German-speaking world. Tetens is therefore supposed to have introduced Immanuel Kant
to phenomenological thought and to the empiricism
/ transcendence
dualism.
In 1776, Tetens became Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kiel
, which might have appeared to be his final professional position. Nonetheless, in the years following 1789, Tetens begun another career as a high ranking Danish civil servant: member of the Finanzcollegium in Copenhagen
, then (1791)counselor of state, and (1803) co-director of the state bank and director of the widow pension funds. By this time, he was interested in pure maths as well as in applications. His interest in polynomial algebra was influenced by his belonging to the German combinatorial school of Carl Friederich Hindenburg, Christian Kramp
and others. His main applied work was concentrated on actuarial mathematics.
The book Einleitung zur Berechnung der Leibrenten und Anwartschaften, published in Leipzig
in 1785 (erster teil) - 1786 (zweiter teil) was a landmark of actuarial science. It contains an extensive synthesis of previous work on the subject, from Halley
's mortality table to Richard Price
's Observations on reversionary payments. It is recognized by actuaries for featuring the first risk measure ever (the Risico der Casse); moreover it offers some insights in mathematical statistics
: by using an approximation of the binomial distribution, Tetens tried to compute the confidence level of a given sampling procedure.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
philosopher, statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
and scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
.
He has been called 'the German Hume', on the basis of a comparison of his major work Philosophische Versuche über die menschliche Natur und ihre Entwickelung (1777) with David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
's A Treatise of Human Nature
A Treatise of Human Nature
A Treatise of Human Nature is a book by Scottish philosopher David Hume, first published in 1739–1740.The full title of the Treatise is 'A Treatise of Human Nature: Being an Attempt to introduce the experimental Method of Reasoning into Moral Subjects'. It contains the following sections:* Book 1:...
. He is considered to have been an influence on Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
.
Born 1736 in Tetenbüll (Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
). From 1760, he taught philosophy and physics ("natural philosophy" by that time) in the Buetzow Academy (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a federal state in northern Germany. The capital city is Schwerin...
). During this decade, he wrote many treatises on various subjects, ranging from the color of the sky to the existence of God through the origins of languages (see e. g. references in Johann Christian Poggendorff
Johann Christian Poggendorff
Johann Christian Poggendorff , was a German physicist born in Hamburg.By far the greater and more important part of his work related to electricity and magnetism. Poggendorff is known for his electrostatic motor which is analogous to Wilhelm Holtz's electrostatic machine...
, 1863). After this polygraphic formation period, Tetens goes back to more fundamental enquiries: after having read David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
's work, he popularized it throughout the German-speaking world. Tetens is therefore supposed to have introduced Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
to phenomenological thought and to the empiricism
Empiricism
Empiricism is a theory of knowledge that asserts that knowledge comes only or primarily via sensory experience. One of several views of epistemology, the study of human knowledge, along with rationalism, idealism and historicism, empiricism emphasizes the role of experience and evidence,...
/ transcendence
Transcendence (philosophy)
In philosophy, the adjective transcendental and the noun transcendence convey the basic ground concept from the word's literal meaning , of climbing or going beyond, albeit with varying connotations in its different historical and cultural stages...
dualism.
In 1776, Tetens became Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, which might have appeared to be his final professional position. Nonetheless, in the years following 1789, Tetens begun another career as a high ranking Danish civil servant: member of the Finanzcollegium in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, then (1791)counselor of state, and (1803) co-director of the state bank and director of the widow pension funds. By this time, he was interested in pure maths as well as in applications. His interest in polynomial algebra was influenced by his belonging to the German combinatorial school of Carl Friederich Hindenburg, Christian Kramp
Christian Kramp
Christian Kramp was a French mathematician, who worked primarily with factorials.Christian Kramp's father was his teacher at grammar school in Strasbourg. Kramp studied medicine and graduated, however, his interests certainly ranged outside medicine for, in addition to a number of medical...
and others. His main applied work was concentrated on actuarial mathematics.
The book Einleitung zur Berechnung der Leibrenten und Anwartschaften, published in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1785 (erster teil) - 1786 (zweiter teil) was a landmark of actuarial science. It contains an extensive synthesis of previous work on the subject, from Halley
Edmond Halley
Edmond Halley FRS was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist who is best known for computing the orbit of the eponymous Halley's Comet. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, following in the footsteps of John Flamsteed.-Biography and career:Halley...
's mortality table to Richard Price
Richard Price
Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
's Observations on reversionary payments. It is recognized by actuaries for featuring the first risk measure ever (the Risico der Casse); moreover it offers some insights in mathematical statistics
Mathematical statistics
Mathematical statistics is the study of statistics from a mathematical standpoint, using probability theory as well as other branches of mathematics such as linear algebra and analysis...
: by using an approximation of the binomial distribution, Tetens tried to compute the confidence level of a given sampling procedure.
External links
- MacTutor biography at University of St AndrewsUniversity of St AndrewsThe University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
Works
- Über die allgemeine speculativische Philosophie (1775)
- Philosophische Versuche über die menschliche Natur und ihre Entwickelung, vol. 1 and vol. 2 (1777)
- Einleitung zur Berechnung der Leibrenten und Anwarschaften die vom Leben oder Tode einer oder mehrerer Personen abhangen mit Tabellen zum praktischen Gebrauch, vol. 1 and vol. 2