JOHANN GOTTFRIED VON HERDER: BIOGRAPHY, THOUGHT, CONTRIBUTIONS, WORKS - ARTE - 2025

Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803) was a German critic, theologian and philosopher, whose work contributed to the emergence of literary romanticism in his country. Through his work he promoted the nationalist spirit in defense of the own and ancestral characteristics of his land.

He expressed the importance of context to appreciate artistic works and understand the culture of each nation, as well as deep analysis of history to understand the present and foresee the future, based on observations of past events.

Anton Graff

To achieve this objective, Herder studied such important areas as the history of man since the first civilizations, the origin of language, the influence of religion, the cultural and historical contribution of popular songs of the Middle Ages and even metaphysics.

He inspired many writers, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a leading figure in German literary classicism with whom he later collaborated. In addition, he was a follower of the philosopher Immanuel Kant until their corresponding currents moved them away permanently.

Biography

The beginning

Johann Gottfried Herder was born on August 25, 1744 in the town of Mohrungen, former East Prussia. His parents were Gottfried Herder and Anna Elizabeth Peltz, who provided their six children with a religious home, but with few resources.

Herder attended the local school and frequently received help with his academic training. At age 16 he obtained free accommodation in the home of the vicar Sebastian Trescho in exchange for working as a copyist. A situation that gave him access to the extensive library of the religious, where he could satisfy his desire for knowledge.

Later the surgeon JC Schwarz-Erla, who had come to town in the company of a military regiment, offered to pay for Herder's medical studies at Konigsberg University. In 1762 the young Johann enrolled for this purpose, but he eventually discovered that this was not his calling and chose to study theology.

By then, aged 18, he worked as a teacher's aide at a local elementary school to pay for his studies.

During this university stage, he frequently attended the lectures given by the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) considered the founder of critical philosophy. This figure made such a deep impression on Herder that he gave him a heartfelt description of his work, far removed from the public disagreements they would later have.

At this time he also established a great friendship with another prominent German philosopher, Johann Georg Hamman (1730-1718), with whom he shared the rejection of enlightened rationalism prevailing at that time.

First jobs

In 1764 Herder moved to Riga (former Russian Empire) where he was ordained a Protestant pastor and served as a teacher and preacher. There he published his first works Fragments about German Literature (1765) and Silvas Criticisms or Reflections about the Science and Art of Beauty (1769), both under a pseudonym.

That same year he embarked on a trip to Europe, a journey that changed his way of seeing life. This is demonstrated in his Diary of my trip in 1769. In these writings Herder sees himself as a simple being who has left the safety of the coast to start a journey into the unknown. I was 20 years old by this time.

On this trip he met a young Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) in Strasbourg who would become a figure of literary classicism. He later recognized Herder's influence on his own work, thanks to his observations on Homer, Pindar, Shakeaspeare, and literature in general.

Forerunner of German literary romanticism

Between 1771 and 1776, Herder served in Buckeburg as a court preacher. The most important works in this period were Essay on the Origin of Language (1772) for which he won a prize awarded by the Berlin Academy; in addition to Shakeaspere (1773).

Thanks to a recommendation from Goethe, he was appointed in 1776 General Superintendent of the Lutheran Church in Weimar. During this time he published an important essay on the philosophy of the mind called On the knowledge and feeling of the human soul (1778).

The work he produced at this time was central to the “Sturm und Drang” (Storm and Momentum) movement that historians say served as a prelude to German literary romanticism.

In 1784 he wrote Philosophy of History for the Education of Humanity, his most important work in this field and for which he would be most recognized.

Thought

The spirit of the people

Herder never circumscribed his work to a single subject, writing with the same passion on theology, philosophy, literature, philology or history. Sometimes he mixed a little of each of these themes in his work.

Perhaps this is why his critics accused some of his works of being grammatically and emotionally disorderly, in a style that might be expected from a casual speech rather than from a philosophical text.

Regardless of his style, his general thought was aimed at rescuing the history and culture of his country, analyzing it through the context of the peoples who experienced the events, including the influence of religion in decision-making.

In fact, historians describe Herder as one of the main precursors of the "Volkgeist" or spirit of the people, a concept that encompasses the common traits that make each nation unique and that is present in literary works prior to German romanticism, period to that Herder belongs.

The man in history and other contributions

He insisted on foreseeing what might happen socially in the future, based on parameters obtained from the past and not from the present. This is why he was so interested in knowing and publishing the origin of the popular songs of the Middle Ages, exposing the best known versions that had been transmitted through generations orally, as witnesses of the reality that occurred when they were created.

Herder rejected the stream of enlightenment, which proclaims that all men are equal. For him, each nation has its own spirit that must be respected for being unique, which cannot be understood by a foreigner, since only people who were exposed to the topography, climate and events of the place can really understand.

He also opposed the belief of the Enlightenment that placed the men of his era at the top of humanity, claiming that centuries ago there were more brilliant men.

He exposed his more optimistic side by affirming the importance of humanity on earth and its distinction with respect to animals. For Herder, there is no progress in animals throughout their history, only in their lives, while man progresses in both directions: personal and collective.

Plays

His prolific writing includes more than thirty works, whose titles allow us to appreciate the scope of his thought in various areas of knowledge. The most prominent ones are mentioned below:

-Fragments about German literature (1765), in which he expresses the importance of language for the transmission of the message and the need to make German literature independent from foreign influence.

-Silvas criticisms or reflections about the science and art of beauty (1769), where he ensures that art can be judged as good or bad depending on the sensory perception that the person has when exposed to it.

-Diary of my trip in 1769, published after his death, in which Herder recognizes the change that his life has given as a result of this experience.

- Essay on the origin of language (1772), in which he rejects the religious origin of language and analyzes it from an anthropological perspective.

- Shakeaspeare (1773), in which he exposes and praises the work and style of the English playwright.

- Essay on German art and style (1773), written in collaboration with Goethe.

-Of the knowledge and feeling of the human soul (1778)

-Collection of popular songs (1778)

- Plastik (1778), where he exposes his way of seeing metaphysics.

-Letters on the study of Theology (1782)

-Philosophy of history for the education of humanity (1784) written in four volumes in which it exposes the origin of man and his journey up to the year 1500. Unfortunately it is unfinished, since it does not reach the present time of Herder.

-Letters on the progress of man (1793)

Personal life and death

Johann Gottfried von Herder had four children with his wife Carolina Flachsland. At the end of his career, his support for revolutionary ideas coming from France earned him the enmity of his colleagues, while at the same time he distanced himself from his friend Goethe.

His attacks on Kant's philosophy also did not contribute to his popularity at the time, causing him to become increasingly isolated from his social circle.

In 1802 the prefix "von" to his surname was awarded as a tribute. This preposition, which means “from” or “from” in German, indicated that the person who used it belonged to the nobility, something that changed with the passage of time, but at that time it denoted an important distinction.

Johann Gottfried von Herder died in Weimar on December 18, 1803 at the age of fifty-nine.

References

1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2001). Johann Gottfried von Herder. Taken from plato.stanford.edu
2. Hans Dietrich Irmscher. (2017). Johann Gottfried von Herder. Taken from Britannica.com
3. Hans Adler and Wulf Koepke. (2009). A companion to the works of Johann Gottfried Herder. Taken from jstor.org
4. Dictionary of philosophy. (2017). Johann Gottfried Herder. Taken from Philosophy.org
5. Harald Sack. (2018). Johann Gottfried Herder and the Filosophy of History and Culture. Taken from scihi.org
6. Jonathan Arriola. (2009). An approach to the work of Johann Gottfried Herder What is the nation? Taken from magazines.ort.edu.uy
7. Andrés Carmona. (2014). Enlightened rationalism and community identity. Taken from laicismo.org