A car accident near the Czech-German border in 1991 claimed the life of Vilém Flusser, a thinker whose career spanned continents and languages.
Early Life and Displacement
Born into a family of Jewish intellectuals in Prague, Flusser experienced the total loss of his relatives during the Holocaust. His father, Gustav Flusser, was a mathematician and physicist who had studied under Albert Einstein. After the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Flusser fled to London, where he briefly attended the London School of Economics and Political Science before emigrating to Brazil. He established his life in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, initially working in private industry before fully integrating into the Brazilian intellectual community.
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By the 1960s, Flusser was a significant presence in Brazilian philosophy, collaborating with the Brazilian Institute of Philosophy and forming a key dialogue with the philosopher Vicente Ferreira da Silva. He held positions at the University of São Paulo, serving as a lecturer in the philosophy of science at the Escola Politécnica and as a professor at the Escola Dramática and the Escola Superior de Cinema. His academic tenure in Brazil concluded in 1970 when the military government dismissed the department of philosophy.
Philosophy of Media and Photography
Flusser spent his later years in Europe, residing in Merano and eventually settling in Robion, France, in 1981. During this period, he focused heavily on media theory, arguing that photography represented a historical break comparable to the invention of linear writing. He examined the transition from image worship to text worship, labeling these patterns as idolatry and textolatry. His work remained eclectic, often presented in short, provocative essays written across German, Portuguese, French, and English.
Fast facts
- Born: 1920, Prague
- Died: 1991, Bor
- Citizenship: Brazil
- Education: Charles University and London School of Economics
- Key academic employer: University of São Paulo
- Language proficiency: German, Portuguese, French, Czech
- Archival home: Berlin University of the Arts
- Burial site: New Jewish Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What were Flusser's primary areas of study?
He focused on the philosophy of science, the philosophy of language, media theory, and the philosophy of communication.
Why did Flusser leave Brazil in 1972?
He departed after losing his teaching position at the University of São Paulo during a government-mandated reform in 1970.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of São Paulo and Ruhr University Bochum
- Fields: philosophy of science, philosophy of language and communication
