Wolfgang von Leyden
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Marius von Leyden was a German political philosopher who edited the letters of the 17th century empiricist, John Locke
. He was born in Berlin
on 28 December, 1911, and was a grandson of Ernst Viktor von Leyden
. He received a broad humanistic education, studying at German (Berlin, Göttingen
) and Italian (Florence
) universities. When in Italy, he found himself stateless, possibly because of his Jewish descent, or possibly because of being confused with his brother, who was an alleged member of the communist party in Germany. Just before the second World War broke out he managed to come to England in 1939, where he was, as German national and Italian resident, interned on the Isle of Man
, like most citizens of the Axis powers
that came to the UK.
Throughout his career he studied the concepts of memory
(Fernández 2006) and identity (McClure, 1996). From 1946 to 1977 he lectured at Durham University. After retiring he continued part time at the London School of Economics. At LSE Wolfgang's seminars on Ancient Greek thought were so popular that many of the attendees were not even officially taking the course, such was his standing. He died on the 4th September 2004, kind and modest to the last.
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
. He was born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 28 December, 1911, and was a grandson of Ernst Viktor von Leyden
Ernst Viktor von Leyden
Ernst Viktor von Leyden was a German internist from Danzig.Leyden studied medicine at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Institut in Berlin, and was a pupil of Johann Lukas Schönlein and Ludwig Traube . He was a medical professor at several universities, including Königsberg, Strassburg and Berlin...
. He received a broad humanistic education, studying at German (Berlin, Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
) and Italian (Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
) universities. When in Italy, he found himself stateless, possibly because of his Jewish descent, or possibly because of being confused with his brother, who was an alleged member of the communist party in Germany. Just before the second World War broke out he managed to come to England in 1939, where he was, as German national and Italian resident, interned on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, like most citizens of the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
that came to the UK.
Throughout his career he studied the concepts of memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
(Fernández 2006) and identity (McClure, 1996). From 1946 to 1977 he lectured at Durham University. After retiring he continued part time at the London School of Economics. At LSE Wolfgang's seminars on Ancient Greek thought were so popular that many of the attendees were not even officially taking the course, such was his standing. He died on the 4th September 2004, kind and modest to the last.