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ChristianWolff(philosopher)Wikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

ChristianWolff(philosopher)
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

ChristianWolff(lesscorrectlyWolfalsoknownas
WolfiusennobledasChristianFreiherrvonWolff
24January16799April1754)wasaGerman
philosopher.ThemountainMonsWolffontheMoon
isnamedinhishonor.

ChristianWolff

WolffwasthemosteminentGermanphilosopher
betweenLeibnizandKant.Hismainachievementwas
acompleteoeuvreonalmosteveryscholarlysubject
ofhistime,displayedandunfoldedaccordingtohis
demonstrativedeductive,mathematicalmethod,
whichperhapsrepresentsthepeakofEnlightenment
rationalityinGermany.
WolffwasalsothecreatorofGermanasthelanguage
ofscholarlyinstructionandresearch,althoughhealso
wroteinLatin,sothataninternationalaudiencecould,
anddid,readhim.Afoundingfatherof,amongother
fields,economicsandpublicadministrationas
academicdisciplines,heconcentratedespeciallyin
thesefields,givingadviceonpracticalmattersto
peopleingovernment,andstressingtheprofessional
natureofuniversityeducation.

Born

24January1679
Breslau,HabsburgSilesia

Died

9April1754(aged75)
Halle,DuchyofMagdeburg

Almamater UniversityofJena

Contents

Era

18thcenturyphilosophy

Region

WesternPhilosophy

1 Life

School

Enlightenmentphilosophy

2 Philosophy

Main
interests

Philosophicallogic,metaphysics

3 Works

Notable
ideas

Theoreticalphilosophyhasforits
partsontologyorphilosophiaprima,
cosmology,rationalpsychology,and
naturaltheology

4 Seealso
5 Notes
6 References

Influences
Influenced

7 Sources
8 Externallinks

Life
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WolffwasborninBreslau,Silesia(nowWrocaw,Poland),
intoamodestfamily.Hestudiedmathematicsandphysicsat
theUniversityofJena,soonaddingphilosophy.In1703,he
qualifiedasPrivatdozentattheUniversityofLeipzig,where
helectureduntil1706,whenhewascalledasprofessorof
mathematicsandnaturalphilosophytotheUniversityof
Halle.Bythistimehehadmadetheacquaintanceof
Leibniz,ofwhosephilosophyhisownsystemisamodified
version.AtHalle,Wolffatfirstrestrictedhimselfto
mathematics,butonthedepartureofacolleague,headded
physics,andsoonincludedallthemainphilosophical
disciplines.
However,theclaimsWolffadvancedonbehalfof
philosophicalreasonappearedimpioustohistheological
colleagues.HallewastheheadquartersofPietism,which,
PlaqueonbuildinginWrocaw(Breslau)
afteralongstruggleagainstLutherandogmatism,haditself
whereWolffwasbornandlived,167999
assumedthecharacteristicsofaneworthodoxy.Wolff's
professedidealwastobasetheologicaltruthson
mathematicallycertainevidence.StrifewiththePietistsbrokeoutopenlyin1721,whenWolff,onthe
occasionofsteppingdownasprorector,deliveredanoration"OnthePracticalPhilosophyofthe
Chinese"(Eng.tr.1750),inwhichhepraisedthepurityofthemoralpreceptsofConfucius,pointingto
themasanevidenceofthepowerofhumanreasontoreachmoraltruthbyitsownefforts.
On12July1723Wolffheldalectureforstudentsandthe
magistratesattheendofhistermasarector.[1]Wolffcompared,
basedonbooksbytheBelgianmissionariesFranoisNol
(16511729)andPhilippeCouplet,Moses,Christand
MohammedwithConfucius.[2]AccordingtoVoltaireprofessor
AugustHermannFranckehadbeenteachinginanempty
classroombutWolffattractedwithhislecturesaround1,000
studentsfromallover.[3]InthefollowingupWolffwasaccused
byFranckeoffatalismandatheism.[4]

Delftwareplaquewithchinoiserie,
17thcentury

Asaconsequence,Wolffwasoustedin1723fromhisfirstchair
atHalleinoneofthemostcelebratedacademicdramasofthe
18thcentury.HissuccessorswereJoachimLange,apietist,andhisson.Hisenemieshadgainedtheear
ofthekingFrederickWilliamIandtoldhimthat,ifWolff'sdeterminismwererecognized,nosoldier
whodesertedcouldbepunished,sincehewouldonlyhaveactedasitwasnecessarilypredeterminedthat
heshould.ThissoenragedthekingthatheimmediatelydeprivedWolffofhisoffice,andcommanded
himtoleavePrussianterritorywithin48hoursorbehanged.ThesamedayWolffpassedintoSaxony,
andpresentlyproceededtoMarburginHesseKassel(orHesseCassel),towhoseuniversityhehad
receivedacallevenbeforethiscrisis,whichwasnowrenewed.TheLandgraveofHessereceivedhim
witheverymarkofdistinction,andthecircumstancesofhisexpulsiondrewuniversalattentiontohis
philosophy.Itwaseverywherediscussed,andovertwohundredbooksandpamphletsappearedforor
againstitbefore1737,notreckoningthesystematictreatisesofWolffandhisfollowers.
AccordingtoJonathanI.Israel"theconflictbecameoneofthemostsignificantculturalconfrontations
ofthe18thcenturyandperhapsthemostimportantoftheEnlightenmentinCentralEuropeandthe
BalticcountriesbeforetheFrenchRevolution."[5]In1726WolffpublishedhisDiscours,inwhichhe
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againmentionedtheimportanceoflisteningtomusicputon
pregnantChinesewomen[note1],andhadrewordedsomeon
Moses.AttheUniversityofMarburg,asoneofthemostpopular
andfashionableuniversityteachersinEurope,heincreased
matriculationfigureswithinfiveyearsbyabout50%.
ThePrussiancrownprinceFrederickdefendedWolffagainst
JoachimLangeandorderedtheBerlinministerJeanDeschamps,
aformerpupilofWolff,totranslateVernnftigeGedankenvon
Gott,derWeltundderSeeledesMenschen,auchallenDingen
berhauptintoFrench.[6]Frederickproposedtosendacopyof
Logiqueourflexionssurlesforcesdel'entendementhumainto
Voltaireinhisfirstlettertothephilosopherfrom8August1736.
In1737Wolff'sMetafysicawastranslatedintoFrenchbyUlrich
FriedrichvonSuhm.[7]VoltairegottheimpressionFrederickhad
translatedthebookhimself.
In1738FrederickWilliambegunthehardlabouroftryingto
readWolff.[8]In1740FrederickWilliamdied,andoneofthe
firstactsofhissonandsuccessor,FredericktheGreat,wasto
acquirehimforthePrussianAcademy.[9]Wolffrefused,[10]but
acceptedon10September1740anappointmentinHalle.His
entryintothetownon6December1740tookonthecharacterof
atriumphalprocession.In1743,hebecamechancellorofthe
university,andin1745,hereceivedthetitleofFreiherr(Baron)
fromtheElectorofBavaria.Buthismatterwasnolonger
fashionable,hehadoutlivedhispowerofattractingstudents,and
hisclassroomsremained,whilenotempty,thencertainly
emptierthantheyhadbeenduringhisheydayinMarburg.

FigurengruppeamChinesischen
Teehaus,Potsdam,Sanssouci,
Bundesarchiv

HalleinSachsen.MatthusMerian
theElderMerian,Matthus(1653)
TopographiaSaxoniaeInferioris,
FrankfurtamMain

WhenWolffdiedon9April1754,hewasaverywealthyman,
almostentirelyduetohisincomefromlecturefees,salaries,androyalties.Hewasalsoamemberof
manyacademiesandprobablythefirstscholartohavebeencreatedhereditaryBaronoftheHolyRoman
Empireonthebasisofhisacademicwork.Hisschool,theWolffians,wasthefirstschool,inthe
philosophicalsense,associatedwithaGermanphilosopher.ItdominatedGermanyuntiltheriseof
Kantianism.

Philosophy
ChristianWolffredefinedphilosophyasthescienceofthepossible,andapplieditinacomprehensive
surveyofhumanknowledgetothedisciplinesofhistime.Wolffianphilosophyhasamarkedinsistence
everywhereonaclearandmethodicexposition,holdingconfidenceinthepowerofreasontoreduceall
subjectstothisform.HewasdistinguishedforwritingcopiesinbothLatinandGerman.Wolff's
teachingsheldvirtuallyundisputedswayinGermanytilltheKantianrevolution,andevenafterthat,
WolffcontinuedtoberegardedasoneofthemostimportantphilosophersfromGermanspeakinglands.
Untilthe1960s,itwasusuallymaintainedbyhistoriansthatWolff'sphilosophyamountedtoacommon
senseadaptationorwateringdownoftheLeibniziansystemor,morecharitably,Wolffwassaidtohave
methodizedand"reduced"todogmaticformthethoughtsofhisgreatpredecessor.TheWolffiansystem
retainsthedeterminismandoptimismofLeibniz,butthemonadologyrecedesintothebackground,the
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monadsfallingasunderintosoulsorconsciousbeingsontheone
handandmereatomsontheother.Thedoctrineofthepre
establishedharmonyalsolosesitsmetaphysicalsignificance
(whileremaininganimportantheuristicdevice),andthe
principleofsufficientreasonisoncemorediscardedinfavorof
theprincipleofcontradictionwhichWolffseekstomakethe
fundamentalprincipleofphilosophy.
Wolffhadphilosophydividedintoatheoreticalandapractical
part.Logic,sometimescalledphilosophiarationalis,formsthe
introductionorpropaedeuticstoboth.Theoreticalphilosophyhad
foritspartsontologyorphilosophiaprima,cosmology,rational
psychology,andnaturaltheologyontologytreatsoftheexistent
ingeneral,cosmologyoftheworldasawhole,psychologyofthe
soulasasimplenonextendedsubstance,andrationaltheologyof
theexistenceandattributesofGod.Thesearebestknownto
Leibniz
philosophicalstudentsbyKant'streatmentoftheminthe
CritiqueofPureReason.Practicalphilosophyissubdividedinto
ethics,economicsandpolitics.Wolff'smoralprincipleistherealizationofhumanperfectionseen
realisticallyasthekindofperfectionthehumanpersonactuallycanachieveintheworldinwhichwe
live.ItisperhapsthecombinationofEnlightenmentoptimismandworldlyrealismthatmadeWolffso
successfulandpopularasateacheroffuturestatesmenandbusinessleaders.

Works
Wolff'smostimportantworksareasfollows:
AnfangsgrndeallermathematischenWissenschaften(1710)inLatin,Elementamatheseos
universae,(17131715)
VernnftigeGedankenvondenKrftendesmenschlichenVerstandes(1712Eng.trans.1770)
Vern.Ged.vonGott,derWeltundderSeeledesMenschen,auchallenDingenberhaupt(1719)
Vern.Ged.vonderMenschenThunundLassen(1720)
Vern.Ged.vondemgesellschaftlichenLebenderMenschen(1721)
Vern.Ged.vondenWirkungenderNatur(1723)
Vern.Ged.vondenAbsichtendernatrlichenDinge(1724)
Vern.Ged.vondemGebrauchederTheileinMenschen,ThierenundPflanzen(1725)thelast
sevenmaybrieflybedescribedastreatisesonlogic,metaphysics,moralphilosophy,political
philosophy,theoreticalphysics,teleology,physiology
Philosophiarationalis,sivelogica(1728)
Philosophiaprima,siveOntologia(1730)
Cosmologiageneralis(1731)
Psychologiaempirica(1732)
Psychologiarationalis(1734)
Theologianaturalis(17361737)
KleinephilosophischeSchriften,collectedandeditedbyG.F.Hagen(17361740).
Philosophiapracticauniversalis(17381739)
JusnaturaeandJusGentium(17401749)
JusGentiumMethodoScientificaPertractum(TheLawofNationsAccordingtotheScientific
Method)(1749)
Philosophiamoralis(17501753).

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Wolff'scompletewritingshavebeenpublishedsince1962inanannotatedreprintcollection,andthus
areeasilyaccessible:
GesammelteWerke,Jeancoleetal.(eds.),3series(German,Latin,andMaterials),Hildesheim
[Zrich]NewYork:Olms,1962.
ThisincludesavolumethatunitesthethreemostimportantolderbiographiesofWolff.
AnexcellentmoderneditionofthefamousHallespeechonChinesephilosophyis
OratiodeSinarumphilosophiapractica/RedeberdiepraktischePhilosophiederChinesen,
MichaelAlbrecht(ed.),Hamburg:Meiner,1985.

Seealso
WawrzyniecMitzlerdeKolof

Notes
1.WhathappenedinHalleshouldnotbeseenasanisolatedcase,butastrendyandfashionable.Around1720
ChineseporcelainwasloadedinenormousquantitiestoEurope.IntheAlbrechtsburgtheMeissenporcelain
manufactoryhadbeenstarteduptocopyitandChinoiseriewaspopularamongartistsandbuyers.

References
1.Wolf,C.(1985).MichaelAlbrecht,ed.OratiodeSinarumphilosophiapractica/Redeberdiepraktische
PhilosophiederChinesen.PhilosophischeBibliothek(inGerman).Hamburg,Germany:FelixMeinerVerlag.
p.XXXIX.
2.Lang,DonaldF.(1953)."TheSinophilismofChristianWolf(16791754)".JournaloftheHistoryofIdeas
(UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress)14(4):561.JSTOR2707702.
3."AuditoriumMaximumderUniversittHalle"(inGerman).Rathausseite.Retrieved1January2012.
4.Uhalley,StephenXiaoxinWu(2001).ChinaandChristianity:BurdenedPast,HopefulFuture.San
Francisco:UniversityofSanFranciscoRicciInstituteforChineseWesternCulturalHistory.p.160.ISBN0
765606615.Retrieved1January2012.
5.Israel,JonathanI.(2002)."29".RadicalEnlightenment:PhilosophyandtheMakingofModernity.Oxford
UniversityPress.ISBN0199254567.
6.TheSciencesoftheSoul:TheEarlyModernOriginsofPsychologybyFernandoVidal,p.92.[1]
(http://books.google.nl/books?
id=4SS0fcbm3xMC&lpg=PA92&ots=Gle5uT3e8m&dq=Jean%20Deschamps%20Christian%20Wolff&hl=nl
&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q=Jean%20Deschamps%20Christian%20Wolff&f=false)
7.SeizetheBook,JailtheAuthor:JohannLorenzSchmidtandCensorshipin...DoorPaulS.Spalding,Johann
LorenzSchmidt,p.128.[2](http://books.google.nl/books?
id=ia8prLcwsAYC&lpg=PA128&ots=QEzssLsUoX&dq=Ulrich%20Friedrich%20von%20Suhm%20Wolff&h
l=nl&pg=PA128#v=onepage&q=Ulrich%20Friedrich%20von%20Suhm%20Wolff&f=false)
8.MacDonogh,G.(1999)FredericktheGreat,p.129.
9.MacDonogh,G.(1999)FredericktheGreat,p.134.
10.HowtoConsulttheIChing,theOracleofChangeDoorAlfredDouglas,p.82.[3]
(http://books.google.nl/books?
id=eREahbPlHNQC&lpg=PA82&ots=SnOd0h42YU&dq=Ulrich%20Friedrich%20von%20Suhm%20Wolff&h
l=nl&pg=PA82#v=onepage&q=Ulrich%20Friedrich%20von%20Suhm%20Wolff&f=false)

Sources
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Blackwell,RichardJ."ChristianWolff'sDoctrineoftheSoul,"JournaloftheHistoryofIdeas,
1961,22:339354.inJSTOR(http://www.jstor.org/pss/2708129)
Corr,CharlesA."ChristianWolffandLeibniz,"JournaloftheHistoryofIdeas,April1975,Vol.
36Issue2,pp241262inJSTOR(http://www.jstor.org/stable/2708926)
Goebel,Julius,"ChristianWolffandtheDeclarationofIndependence",inDeutschAmerikanische
Geschichtsbltter.JahrbuchderDeutschAmerikanischenGesellschaftvonIllinois18/19(Jg.
1918/19),Chicago:DeutschAmerikanischeGesellschaftvonIllinois,1920,pp.6987,details
Wolff'simpactontheDeclarationofIndependence.
Jolley,Nicholas,ed.TheCambridgeCompaniontoLeibniz(CambridgeUniversityPress,1995),
thestandardsourceinEnglishincludesbiographyanddetailsofhisworkinmanyfields
Richards,RobertJ."ChristianWolff'sProlegomenatoEmpiricalandRationalPsychology:
TranslationandCommentary,"ProceedingsoftheAmericanPhilosophicalSocietyVol.124,No.
3(30Jun.1980),pp.227239inJSTOR(http://www.jstor.org/stable/986371)
Vanzo,Alberto."ChristianWolffandExperimentalPhilosophy
(http://www.albertovanzo.net/papers/Wolff_experimental_philosophypreprint.pdf)",Oxford
StudiesinEarlyModernPhilosophy7.
EuropeanJournalofLawandEconomics(http://arno.daastol.com/artprof/wolff.html)4(2)
(Summer1997),specialissueonChristianWolff,reprinted1998intheGesammelteWerke,3rd
Ser.NoteespeciallytheessaysbyJrgenG.Backhaus("ChristianWolffonSubsidiarity,the
DivisionofLabor,andSocialWelfare"),WolfgangDrechsler("ChristianWolff(16791754):A
BiographicalEssay"),ErikS.ReinertandArnoMongDaastl("ExploringtheGenesisof
EconomicInnovations:ThereligiousGestaltSwitchandtheDutytoInventasPreconditionsfor
EconomicGrowth"),andPeterR.Senn("ChristianWolffinthePreHistoryoftheSocial
Sciences").
Thisarticleincorporatestextfromapublicationnowinthepublicdomain:Chisholm,Hugh,ed.
(1911).EncyclopdiaBritannica(11thed.).CambridgeUniversityPress.

Externallinks
WorksbyoraboutChristianWolff
(https://archive.org/search.php?

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoChristian
Wolff.

query=%28%28subject%3A%22Wolff%2C%20Christian%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Christi
an%20Wolff%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Wolff%2C%20Christian%22%20OR%20creator%
3A%22Christian%20Wolff%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Wolff%2C%20C%2E%22%20OR%
20title%3A%22Christian%20Wolff%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Wolff%2C%20Christian
%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Christian%20Wolff%22%29%20OR%20%28%221679
1754%22%20AND%20Wolff%29%29%20AND%20%28mediatype:software%29)atInternet
Archive
ChristianWolff(http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wolffchristian)entrybyMattHettcheinthe
StanfordEncyclopediaofPhilosophy
ChristianWolff'sOntology:Existenceas"ComplementofPossibility"
(http://www.ontology.co/christianwolffontology.htm)
SelectedBibliographyontheMetaphysicalWorksofChristianWolff
(http://www.ontology.co/biblio/christianwolffbiblio.htm)
Wolff(http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/hp/hpwolff.htm)fromHegels
LecturesontheHistoryofPhilosophy
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Christian_Wolff_(philosopher)&oldid=698050936"
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Categories: 1679births 1754deaths PeoplefromWrocaw PeoplefromSilesia

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LeipzigUniversityfaculty UniversityofHallefaculty BaronsoftheHolyRomanEmpire
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18thcenturyGermanwriters 18thcenturyphilosophers Germanmalewriters
UniversityofJenaalumni
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