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Richard Kroner

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Richard Kroner (8 March 1884 in Breslau – 2 November 1974 in Mammern) was a German neo-Hegelian philosopher, known for his Von Kant bis Hegel (1921/4), a classic history of German idealism written from the neo-Hegelian point of view. He was a Christian, from a Jewish background. He is known for his formulation of Hegel as 'the Protestant Aquinas'.

In 1924 Victor Klemperer supported a call for Richard Kroner to a new chair for theoretical pedagogics and philosophy at Technische Hochschule Dresden,[1] where he became friends with Paul Tillich.[1]

Under Nazi legislation Kroner's Jewish ancestry as well as his principled democratic stance led to his "suspension" (dismissal) from his university position at Kiel in 1934.[2] He was replaced briefly by Hans-Georg Gadamer, a personal friend.[2]

The American philosopher Otis Lee studied with Kroner for the academic year 1933–1934 and helped him escape to the United States and find a new academic position at Manhattan's Union Theological Seminary.[3]

Kroner's ideas on Hegel, including his slant via Kierkegaard, were taken up by some existentialist thinkers, including Lev Shestov and Nikolai Berdyaev.[2]

In 1952 Richard Kroner retired to Elkins Park, Pennsylvania[4] before moving to Switzerland. He was awarded the Große Bundesverdienstkreuz.[1]

The Kroners are buried at Richmond Cemetery.[1]

Works

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  • Zweck und Gesetz in der Biologie. Eine logische Untersuchung (1913)
  • Kants Weltanschauung (1914)
  • Hegel. Zum 100. Todestag (1932)
  • Die Selbstverwirklichung des Geistes. Prolegomena zur Kulturphilosophie (1928)[4]
  • Von Kant bis Hegel.
    • 1. Band: Von der Vernunftkritik zur Naturphilosophie (1921)
    • 2. Band: Von der Naturphilosophie zur Philosophie des Geistes (1924)
  • The Religious Function of Imagination (1941)
  • Culture and Faith (1951)[4]
  • Speculation in pre-Christian philosophy (1957)
  • Selbstbesinnung. Drei Lehrstunden (1958)
  • Speculation and Revelation In Modern Philosophy (1961)
  • Between Faith and Thought: Reflections and Suggestions (1966)
  • Freiheit und Gnade (1969)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Schäfer, Hermann; Werner, Oliver (2021). "Rotary unter dem Nationalsozialismus. Digitales Gedenkbuch diskriminierter Rotarier – Prof. Dr. phil. Richard Kroner". memorial-rotary.de. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  2. ^ a b c Andel, Kelly Van (2014-08-20). "Richard Kroner". The Gifford Lectures. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  3. ^ "Lee, Otis, 1902–1948 — Memorial Minute". Vassar College Digital Library.
  4. ^ a b c Holz, Friedbert (1982). "Kroner, Richard – Deutsche Biographie". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  • On Two Books by Richard Kroner (1930) - Lev Shestov
  • Richard Kroner (1884-1974). Ein christlicher Philosoph jüdischer Herkunft unter dem Schatten Hitlers (1993) – Walter Asmus (1903-1996)
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