Evgeniy Dyurinh German philosopher, harshly criticized by Friedrich ENGELS. Date of Birth: 12.01.1833 Country: Germany

1. Eugen Dühring: The German Philosopher
2. "Philosophy of Reality"
3. Cosmology and Mechanics
4. Sociology and Economic Views
5. Criticism and Legacy

Eugen Dühring: The German Philosopher

Eugen Dühring was a German philosopher, economist, and jurist. Born in 1833 as the son of a Prussian official, Dühring pursued a legal education and became a private lecturer at the University of Berlin from 1863 to 1877.

"Philosophy of Reality"

Dühring sought to construct his own system of "philosophy of reality," which claimed to establish a new way of thinking. However, his work was a mishmash of metaphysical materialism, positivism, and Kantianism.

Cosmology and Mechanics

Dühring believed philosophy to be a priori knowledge of ultimate truths. The world, according to him, had no end but a temporal beginning that was preceded by a state of absolute rest. The transition from rest to motion was explained by Dühring through the concept of "mechanical force," supposedly inherent in matter.

Sociology and Economic Views

Dühring's sociological theory was founded on the idealistic notion that violence was the root cause of social inequality, exploitation, and poverty. He advocated for socialist transformation without revolutionary upheaval, aligning with the petty bourgeois socialism of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, which emphasized cooperation among small producers. Dühring was an admirer of Henry Charles Carey's economic theories and opposed Karl Marx's political economy, dialectical materialism, and scientific socialism.

Criticism and Legacy

Dühring's ideas gained some traction within German social democracy. This prompted Friedrich Engels to critically analyze Dühring's views, highlighting their eclecticism and scientific unsoundness.