Theodor Lessing
Encyclopedia
Theodor Lessing was a German
Jewish philosopher.
He is known for opposing the rise of Hindenburg
as president of the Weimar Republic
and for his classic on Jewish self-hatred (Der jüdische Selbsthaß), a book which he wrote in 1930, three years before Hitler
came to power, in which he tried to explain the phenomenon
of Jewish self-hatred--Jewish intellectuals
who incited anti-Semitism against the Jewish people
and who regarded Judaism
as the source of evil in the world.
Lessing's political ideals, as well as his Zionism
made him a very controversial person during the rise of Nazi Germany
. He fled to Czechoslovakia
where he lived in Marienbad in the village of a local social democratic politician. On the late evening of 30 August 1933, he was assassinated by Sudeten German Nazi sympathizers in the villa, where he lived. His assassins were Rudolf Max Eckert, Rudolf Zischka and Karl Hönl. They fled to Nazi Germany after the assassination.
According to Theodore Ziolkowski
(Virgil and the Moderns, p.9) in Geschichte als Sinngebung des Sinnlosen (History as Giving Meaning to the Meaningless),
The idea that empirical reality is unknowable had been developed in the philosophy of Afrikan Spir.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Jewish philosopher.
He is known for opposing the rise of Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
as president of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
and for his classic on Jewish self-hatred (Der jüdische Selbsthaß), a book which he wrote in 1930, three years before Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power, in which he tried to explain the phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
of Jewish self-hatred--Jewish intellectuals
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
who incited anti-Semitism against the Jewish people
People
People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:* as the plural of person or a group of people People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:*...
and who regarded Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
as the source of evil in the world.
Lessing's political ideals, as well as his Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
made him a very controversial person during the rise of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. He fled to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
where he lived in Marienbad in the village of a local social democratic politician. On the late evening of 30 August 1933, he was assassinated by Sudeten German Nazi sympathizers in the villa, where he lived. His assassins were Rudolf Max Eckert, Rudolf Zischka and Karl Hönl. They fled to Nazi Germany after the assassination.
According to Theodore Ziolkowski
Theodore Ziolkowski
Theodore Ziolkowski, born 1932 in Birmingham, Alabama, is a scholar in the fields of German studies and comparative literature. He received an A.B. from Duke University in 1951, an A.M. from Duke in 1952 and, following studies at the University of Innsbruck, his Ph.D from Yale University in 1957...
(Virgil and the Moderns, p.9) in Geschichte als Sinngebung des Sinnlosen (History as Giving Meaning to the Meaningless),
"this cultural critic, writing in the tradition of Nietzsche, argued that history, having no objective validity, amounts to a mythic construct imposed on an unknowable reality, in order to give its some semblance of meaning."
The idea that empirical reality is unknowable had been developed in the philosophy of Afrikan Spir.
Literary works / editions
- African Spirs Erkenntnislehre, Gießen, Münchow, 1900.
Lessing's dissertation at Erlangen. - Geschichte als Sinngebung des Sinnlosen. (Beck) 1919 bzw. Leipzig: Reinicke Verlag 1927 . Neu: München: Matthes & Seitz 1983. ISBN 3882212195
- Harmann. Die Geschichte eines Werwolfs. 1925
- Meine Tiere. 1926
- Blumen. 1928
- Jüdischer Selbsthaß. 1930
- Einmal und nie wieder. Erinnerungen, aus dem Nachlass herausgegeben 1935
- Die verfluchte Kultur. Matthes & Seitz 1981. ISBN 3-88221-325-6
- Jörg Wollenberg (Hrsg.): Theodor Lessing – Ausgewählte Schriften. Donat Verlag Bremen
- Band 1: Theodor Lessing: 'Bildung ist Schönheit' – Autobiographische Zeugnisse und Schriften zur Bildungsreform. Bremen 1995
- Band 2: Theodor Lessing: 'Wir machen nicht mit!' – Schriften gegen den Nationalismus und zur Judenfrage. Bremen 1997
- Band 3: Theodor Lessing: 'Theaterseele' und 'Tomi melkt die Moralkuh' – Schriften zu Theater und Literatur. Bremen 2003
- "Geschichte als Sinngebung des Sinnlosen". Zum Leben und Werk des Kulturkritikers Theodor Lessing (1872-1933), hrsg. von Elke-Vera Kotowski, Hildesheim 2006
Reference literatures
- August Messer, Der Fall Lessing, eine objektive Darstellung und kritische Würdigung, Bielefeld 1926
- Ekkehard Hieronimus, Theodor Lessing, Otto Meyerhof, Leonard Nelson. Bedeutende Juden in Niedersachsen, hrsg. von der Niedersächsischen Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung, Hannover 1964
- Lawrence Baron, Theodor Lessing: Between Jewish Self-Hatred and Zionism, in: Year Book XXVI Leo Baeck Inst. 1981
- Ich warf eine Flaschenpost ins Eismeer der Geschichte. Sammelband mit EssayEssayAn essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s und FeuilletonFeuilletonFeuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
s, herausgegeben und eingeleitet von R. Marwedel, Luchterhand Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1986 - Rainer Marwedel: Theodor Lessing 1872-1933. Eine Biographie. Luchterhand Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1987
- Michael Kühntopf-Gentz, Der im Judentum ignorierte Gott: Theodor Lessings religiöse Philosophie, in: Zeitschrift für Religions- und Geistesgeschichte (ZRGG), Jahrgang 41, 1989
- Helmut Heiber: Universität unterm Hakenkreuz. Teil 1: Der Professor im Dritten Reich. Bilder aus der akademischen Provinz. K.G. Saur, München 1991, S. 54-67, Anm. 514, S. 186ff.
- Maja I. Siegrist: Theodor Lessing – Die entropische Philosophie – Freilegung und Rekonstruktion eines verdrängten Denkers. Peter Lang Verlag, Bern 1995
- Julius H. Schoeps: Der ungeliebte Außenseiter. Zum Leben und Werk des Philosophen und Schriftstellers Th. L., in: Der Exodus aus Nazideutschland und die Folgen. Jüdische Wissenschaftler im Exil Hg. Marianne Hassler, Attempto, Tübingen 1997, ISBN 3-89308-265-4
- Elke-Vera Kotowski: Feindliche Dioskuren – Theodor Lessing und Ludwig Klages – Das Scheitern einer Freundschaft. Jüdische Verlagsanstalt, Berlin 2000
- Lessing und Ludwig Klages – Das Scheitern einer Freundschaft, Jüdische Verlagsanstalt, Berlin 2000
- "Ich warf eine Flaschenpost in das unermessliche Dunkel". Theodor Lessing 1872-1933, hrsg. von Elke-Vera Kotowski (Katalog zur gleichnamigen Wanderausstellung), Hildesheim 2008
External links
- Hindenburg (1925)
- Über den Mord an Lessing*
- Personality of the Week - Lessing at www.bh.org.il
- Der jüdische Selbsthaß, Berlin 1930, Jüdischer Verlag, Theodor Lessing on the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
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