Friedrich Schleiermacher

1. Friedrich Schleiermacher By Diego Wagner

2. Early Life • Born in Breslau, Germany in 1768 • Professor in the University of Berlin • Studied the works of Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi • Intertwined the ideas of Kant and the Greek philosphers

3. Doctrine of knowledge (the ego) • Dualism: ego and the non-ego-the life of man in the interaction of the elements. • The ego is made of the body and soul. There is no such thing a “pure mind” or “pure body.” • The general function of the ego is thought, which is either receptive or spontaneous action. • The general functions of the ego are: • 1. Function of the senses- the feelings (subjective) and perceptions (objective). • 2. Functions of the intellect- depending upon the receptive or spontaneous element is divided into cognition (being is the object) and volition (purpose of thought). They are both functions of thought. • In cognition, we receive the onject of thought into ourselves • In volition, we plant it out into the world.

4. The non-ego • Hidden behing the ego is a permanently present self-consciousness, which is both subject and objective. It is a third function of thought. • Known as feeling and immediate knowledge. Through this, we perceive our own life and we feel either pleasure or pain. • For example, upon reflection of nature, mankind and the world, we receive aesthetic, moral, or religious feelings. These feelings are the sense of being with these vast objects. • Religious feeling is the highest form of thought and life because we are conscious of our unity with the world and God. That is the sense of absolute dependence.