Johann Georg Hamann
Johann Georg Hamann (/ˈhɑːmən/; German: [ˈhaːman]; 27 August 1730 – 21 June 1788) was a German Lutheran philosopher from Königsberg known as "the Wizard of the North" who was one of the leading figures of post-Kantian philosophy. His work was used by his student J. G. Herder as the main support of the Sturm und Drang movement, and is associated with the Counter-Enlightenment and Romanticism.
Johann Georg Hamann | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 August 1730 |
| Died | 21 June 1788 (aged 57) Münster, Prince-Bishopric of Münster, Holy Roman Empire |
| Alma mater | University of Königsberg (1746–1751/52; no degree) |
| Era | 18th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Post-Kantian Counter-Enlightenment Sturm und Drang |
Main interests |
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Notable ideas | "Reason is language" ("Vernunft ist Sprache") |
He introduced Kant, also from Königsberg, to the works of both Hume – waking him from his "dogmatic slumber" – and Rousseau. Hamann was influenced by Hume, but he used his views to argue for rather than against Christianity.
Goethe and Kierkegaard were among those who considered him to be the finest mind of his time. He was also a key influence on Hegel and Jacobi. Long before the linguistic turn, Hamann believed epistemology should be replaced by the philosophy of language.