Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg , born with Darmstadt on July 1st 1742 and dead the Göttingen the February 24th 1799, is a Philosophe, writer and Physicien (atypical) German.

Biography

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg is the seventeenth child of Pasteur Johann Conrad Lichtenberg and Henriette Catharina Eckhardt. From a fragile health, it passes its childhood and its adolescence to Darmstadt where a fall, towards the eight years age, involves a deformation of its spinal column. It loses his father in 1751.

Delivering itself with passion to the study, a purse granted by the Landgrave Ludwig VIII enabled him to be registered with the Université of Göttingen the May 21st 1763. It studies there mathematics, astronomy and the natural science, without neglecting the history and the literature. It loses his mother in 1764, the year to which it undertakes the drafting of its books. Of 1767] with 1770, it provides for its requirements by giving English lessons. In spring 1770, it carries out the first of several voyages in England, and to London in particular, which enabled him to study thoroughly manners of this country to draw, of their contrast with German manners, of the subjects of satire, and where it meets the king George III. On its return it is named professor of philosophy in Göttingen where it accepted the title of advising court in 1788. He becomes an appreciated pedagog of his students. From August in December 1774 it accomplishes a second voyage in England with the invitation of the king who entrusts the education of his juniors to him.

In spite of its infirmity, he knows many female conquests. In May 1777, it becomes acquainted with a 13 year old young girl, Maria Dorothea Stechard, with which it falls in love. They live in household but nonmarried until the death of the latter in 1782. This death causes at Lichtenberg of the crises of depression and gives him ideas of suicide. The meeting, in September 1783, with Margarethe Kellner, which becomes his wife, alleviates it a time. Many children are born from this union.

Within the framework of its scientific activities on the probability theory, electricity, etc, it corresponded with Kant, Volta and introduced in Germany the use of the Paratonnerre. It also met Goethe which sought its support within the framework of its theory of the colors. Lichtenberg became member of Royal Society the April 11th 1793

Apart from its scientific work, Lichtenberg produced several literary tests and especially of many satirical writings, very tasted for liveliness, humor and the good sense. The principal ones are a continuation of Ausführliche Erklärung der Hogarthischen Kupferstiche ( Commentaires on engravings of Hogarth , Göttingen, 1794 - 1808, in-fol, 10 liv.); Timorus, das STI die Verteidigung zweier Israeliten, die durch die Kräftigkeit DER lavaterischen Beweisgründe und der Göttingischen Mettwürste bewogen den wahren Glauben angenommen haben ( Timorus, or the apology for two Jews decided by the force of the arguments of Lavater and by the Andouille S of Göttingen to embrace the true faith , 1773, in-8°), Satire, signed pseudonym of “Conrad Pholorin”, in answer to the call to conversion addressed by Lavater to the Jewish philosopher Mendelssohn; Über Physiognomik wider die Physiognomen ( On the physiognomy, against physiognomists , Wider, etc; Göttingen, 1778), protest of the good sense against the claims of Lavater; Über die Pronunciation der Schupse of the alten Griechenlands ( Of the Pronunciation of the sheep of old Greece , 1782), jokes parody of the orthographical innovations suggested by Voß. Most of these satires appeared in the Alamanach de Göttingen that Lichtenberg directed twenty-five years.

The Sudelbücher or books of aphorisms

The work for which Lichtenberg passed to the posterity are some: 8100 thoughts of which it covered a certain number of books. This fragmentary work, not intended for the publication of living of their author, is from now on and generally indicated under the term of Aphorisme S. This term is due to the German philologist Albert Leitzmann which published, of 1902 with 1906, an erudite edition of the books of Lichtenberg under the title Georg Christoph Lichtenbergs Aphorismen because Lichtenberg forever employed this word, to indicate its work of writing, about which he speaks more like Sudelbuch , “delivers fog”, an allusion to the countable registers and of management.

The books were the subject of various editions in France from which most important are:

Books of aphorisms , Denoël, 1980, translation of Marthe Robert. This edition contains: 1557 aphorisms.
the most complete collection of the aphorisms of Lichtenberg is the Mirror of the heart , Jose Corti 1997, translation and introduction of Charles the White. The collection counts some close to: 2100. This edition is based on the German erudite edition in 4 volumes and 2 books of comments (1968 - 1992) of Wolfgang Promies. It respects the chronological order of the books strictly.

They said of Lichtenberg:

Goethe : “The writings of Lichtenberg can be useful to us like more marvellous magic lantern: where he laughs, it is that a problem hides. ”
Hebbel: “I lately extremely read Jean Paul and a little Lichtenberg. What a head well done that one! I would like to better be forgotten with Lichtenberg that immortal with Jean Paul. ”
Karl Kraus: “Lichtenberg digs more deeply than very other, but does not go back to surface. He speaks under ground. Only hears it which oneself digs deeply. ”

One gave, after the death of Lichtenberg, an edition of his Vermischte Schriften ( various Œuvres ; Göttingen, 1800 - 1806, 9 vol.; 1844 - 1845, 6 vol.). One also published his Briefe ( Lettres ; ibid , 1846 -47,2 vol.).

Posterity

a crater lunar door its name.
figures of Lichtenberg: discovered in February 1777, these figures (arcs, stars, tree structures, etc…) are formed around the electrodes of the electricals appliance or close to the points of impact of the lightning.

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