Born in Eisenberg in 1781, Karl Christian Friedrich Krause was a German philosopher whose life and work were defined by frequent academic instability and the creation of a system later known as Krausism. Despite a prolific output as a writer and university teacher, he spent much of his professional career navigating the limitations of various German academic institutions.
Academic Foundations at Jena
Krause began his formal education at the University of Jena in 1797. During his studies, he engaged with significant figures of the era, attending lectures by Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and August Wilhelm von Schlegel. He also studied theology under Johann Jakob Griesbach and Heinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus. By 6 October 1801, he had earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree and, in 1802, became an unsalaried Privatdozent at the institution.
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Following a lack of students, Krause left Jena in 1804 for Rudolstadt and then Dresden, where he provided private music lessons and instructed Arthur Schopenhauer in Indian philosophy. He joined the Freemasons in 1805, seeking to align with their principles, though his later publications on the order faced opposition. He served at the Ingenieur-Akademie Dresden starting in 1809. Later, he held positions at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin from 1813 to 1815 and the University of Göttingen between 1823 and 1830.
Philosophical Frameworks
Krause developed a system categorized as Identitätsphilosophie, which posited the fundamental identity of spirit and nature. He is frequently credited with coining the term panentheism in 1828 to describe his cosmo-theological concept of an all-inclusive essence that encompasses the universe. His work sought to reconcile faith-based intuition with empirical observations of the world. While his system maintained a limited following in Germany, Belgium, and France, it gained substantial influence in Restoration Spain as a cultural movement known as Krausismo.
Fast facts
- Born: 1781, Eisenberg
- Died: 1832, Munich
- Education: University of Jena
- Primary Field: Metaphysics
- Religion: Deism
- Burial site: Alter Südfriedhof
- Citizenship: Saxe-Altenburg
Questions readers ask
What is panentheism?
It is a term Krause coined in 1828 to describe his view of God as an all-inclusive essence that contains the universe within itself.
Where is Karl Christian Friedrich Krause buried?
He is buried in the Alter Südfriedhof in Munich, Germany.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Göttingen, University of Jena and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- Fields: philosophy
