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Max SchelerGerman philosopher
Date of Birth: 22.08.1874
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Max Scheler: A Biography
Max Scheler, a German philosopher and representative of the phenomenological movement, was born on August 22, 1874, in Munich. He began his teaching career in 1901 at the University of Jena and later became a professor at the University of Munich and the University of Cologne.
Contributions to Ethics
Scheler is best known for his work "Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Values" (Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materiale Wertethik, 1913-1916). In this work, he developed the ideas of Blaise Pascal on the "reason of the heart" and constructed a hierarchical system of values - objective qualities that are revealed in human emotions and therefore have a cognitive status (known as the "logic of emotions" as opposed to the "logic of intellect"). The realm of universal values is complemented by the "order of time" and the sphere of individual values.
Metaphysical Anthropology
The dualism of the universal and the individual, and to an even greater extent, the ideal and the real, essence and existence, spirit and life permeates Scheler's entire metaphysical anthropology. Being an "ascetic," absorbed in the intuitive apprehension of pure ideas, reason is powerless to embody them in reality unless they are connected with the instincts of life and material interests. Endowing spirit with the energy of life would simultaneously be the creation of the "fullness of man" in the future and the highest point of movement through which God realizes His eternal essence in the storms of world history.
Other Works
In addition to his major work, Scheler also wrote "On the Eternal in Man" (Vom Ewigen im Menschen, 1921), "Essence and Forms of Sympathy" (Wesen und Formen der Sympathie, 1923), "Forms of Knowledge and Society" (Die Wissensformen und die Gesellschaft, 1926), and "The Position of Man in the Cosmos" (Die Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos, 1928).
Legacy
Max Scheler passed away on May 19, 1928, in Frankfurt-on-the-Main. His contributions to ethics and metaphysical anthropology continue to influence philosophical thought to this day.
