Otto Weininger | |
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Otto Weininger
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Born |
Vienna, Austria-Hungary |
April 3, 1880
Died | October 4, 1903 Vienna, Austria-Hungary |
(aged 23)
Alma mater | University of Vienna |
Era | 20th-century philosophy |
Region | Western Philosophy |
School |
Idealism Kantian ethics |
Main interests
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Philosophy, logic, psychology, genius, gender, religion |
Notable ideas
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All people have elements of both femininity and masculinity, logic and ethics are one, logic is tied to the principle of identity (A=A), the genius is the universal thinker |
Influences
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Influenced
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Otto Weininger (German: [ˈvaɪnɪŋɐ]; April 3, 1880 – October 4, 1903) was an Austrian philosopher. In 1903, he published the book Geschlecht und Charakter (Sex and Character), which gained popularity after his suicide at the age of 23. Today, Weininger is viewed as misogynistic and antisemitic in academic circles, but was held to be a great genius by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the writer August Strindberg (see discussion below).
Otto Weininger was born on April 3, 1880, in Vienna as a son of the Jewish goldsmith Leopold Weininger and his wife Adelheid. After attending primary school and graduating from secondary school in July 1898, Weininger registered at the University of Vienna in October of the same year. He studied philosophy and psychology but took courses in natural sciences and medicine as well. Weininger learned Greek, Latin, French and English very early, later also Spanish and Italian, and acquired passive knowledge of the languages of August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen (i.e., Swedish and Danish/Norwegian).