Eino Kaila
Encyclopedia
Eino Sakari Kaila was a Finnish
philosopher, critic and teacher. He worked in numerous fields including psychology
(sometimes considered to be the founder of Finnish psychology), physics
and theater, and attempted to find unifying principles behind various branches of human and natural sciences.
, Finland. Kaila's father, Erkki Kaila
was a protestant minister and later archbishop
. He graduated from the University of Helsinki
in 1910. In the 1920s he worked in the field of literary criticism
and psychology
as a professor at the University of Turku
and is said to have been the first to introduce gestalt psychology
to Finland. He was a part of the cultural circles of the time with the likes of Jean Sibelius
and Frans Emil Sillanpää and in 1919 he married the painter Anna Lovisa Snellman. In 1930 he was appointed professor of philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Kaila first visited Vienna
in 1929 and took part in the sessions of the Vienna Circle
. During World War II
Kaila lectured in Germany
. In 1948 Kaila became a member of the Finnish Academy. He died in Helsinki on August 1, 1958.
and critical of unempirical speculation, an aspect common to all of Kaila's work was in strive for a holistic, almost pantheistic
understanding of things. He also maintained a more naturalist
approach to psychology. His book Persoonallisuus (1934, Personality) was a psychological study with philosophical dimensions, in which emphasized the biological nature of psychological phenomena. During the last years of his life he attempted to construct a theory of everything
in Terminalkausalität Als Die Grundlage Eines Unitarischen Naturbegriffs, but this, what was meant to be the first installment in a more extensive study, was not met with much enthusiasm outside of Finland.
Though he withdrew his support of the National Socialists
before the end of the Second World War, he wrote about the differences between "western" and "eastern" thought and claimed that the homogeneity of the people was a necessity for a functioning democracy.
, who was the successor of Ludwig Wittgenstein
at the University of Cambridge
. The tradition of highly German-influenced analytical-idealist
philosophy which Kaila championed remained unchallenged in Finnish philosophy until the appearance of continental
influences in the 1980s. Kaila also founded the psychological laboratory at the University of Helsinki.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
philosopher, critic and teacher. He worked in numerous fields including psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
(sometimes considered to be the founder of Finnish psychology), physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and theater, and attempted to find unifying principles behind various branches of human and natural sciences.
Life
Eino Kaila was born in AlajärviAlajärvi
Alajärvi is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
, Finland. Kaila's father, Erkki Kaila
Erkki Kaila
Erkki Kaila, previously Erik Johansson was the Archbishop of Turku, and the spiritual head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland between 1935 and 1944. He was a Member of Parliament between 1917 and 1927, representing the Finnish Party from 1917 to 1918 and the National Coalition Party...
was a protestant minister and later archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
. He graduated from the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
in 1910. In the 1920s he worked in the field of literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
as a professor at the University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
and is said to have been the first to introduce gestalt psychology
Gestalt psychology
Gestalt psychology or gestaltism is a theory of mind and brain of the Berlin School; the operational principle of gestalt psychology is that the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies...
to Finland. He was a part of the cultural circles of the time with the likes of Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
and Frans Emil Sillanpää and in 1919 he married the painter Anna Lovisa Snellman. In 1930 he was appointed professor of philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Kaila first visited Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1929 and took part in the sessions of the Vienna Circle
Vienna Circle
The Vienna Circle was an association of philosophers gathered around the University of Vienna in 1922, chaired by Moritz Schlick, also known as the Ernst Mach Society in honour of Ernst Mach...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Kaila lectured in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1948 Kaila became a member of the Finnish Academy. He died in Helsinki on August 1, 1958.
Ideas
Despite being greatly influenced by the logical positivistsLogical positivism
Logical positivism is a philosophy that combines empiricism—the idea that observational evidence is indispensable for knowledge—with a version of rationalism incorporating mathematical and logico-linguistic constructs and deductions of epistemology.It may be considered as a type of analytic...
and critical of unempirical speculation, an aspect common to all of Kaila's work was in strive for a holistic, almost pantheistic
Pantheism
Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
understanding of things. He also maintained a more naturalist
Naturalism (philosophy)
Naturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
approach to psychology. His book Persoonallisuus (1934, Personality) was a psychological study with philosophical dimensions, in which emphasized the biological nature of psychological phenomena. During the last years of his life he attempted to construct a theory of everything
Theory of everything
A theory of everything is a putative theory of theoretical physics that fully explains and links together all known physical phenomena, and predicts the outcome of any experiment that could be carried out in principle....
in Terminalkausalität Als Die Grundlage Eines Unitarischen Naturbegriffs, but this, what was meant to be the first installment in a more extensive study, was not met with much enthusiasm outside of Finland.
Though he withdrew his support of the National Socialists
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
before the end of the Second World War, he wrote about the differences between "western" and "eastern" thought and claimed that the homogeneity of the people was a necessity for a functioning democracy.
Influence
Kaila's most famous pupil was Georg Henrik von WrightGeorg Henrik von Wright
Georg Henrik von Wright was a Finnish philosopher, who succeeded Ludwig Wittgenstein as professor at the University of Cambridge. He published in English, Finnish, German, and in Swedish. Belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland, von Wright also had Finnish and 17th-century Scottish...
, who was the successor of Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He was professor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1939 until 1947...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. The tradition of highly German-influenced analytical-idealist
Idealism
In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
philosophy which Kaila championed remained unchallenged in Finnish philosophy until the appearance of continental
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
influences in the 1980s. Kaila also founded the psychological laboratory at the University of Helsinki.
Notable works
- Der Logistische Neupositivismus, 1930
- Persoonallisuus (Personality), 1934
- Inhimillinen tieto (Human Knowledge), 1939
- Terminalkausalität Als Die Grundlage Eines Unitarischen Naturbegriffs, 1956