Otto Buek
Encyclopedia
Otto Buek was a German philosopher and translator born in St. Petersburg.
He studied philosophy, chemistry
and mathematics
at the University of Heidelberg, and obtained his doctorate from the University of Marburg. Later he worked as a journalist
in Berlin
, where he translated works of Tolstoy
, Unamuno and Alexander Herzen
. Additionally, with Kurt Wildhagen (1871-1949), he edited works by Turgenev, Gogol and two volumes of Ernst Cassirer
's edition of Kant
's collected writings. During the 1920s he worked as a correspondent for the Argentine newspaper La Nación
.
From a philosophical standpoint Buek was an advocate of Neo-Kantianism
, and as a young man was a disciple of Marburg
philosopher Hermann Cohen
(1848-1918). He was friends to physiologist and pacifist Georg Friedrich Nicolai
(1874-1964), and only one of three intellectuals in Germany who signed Nicolai's 1914 anti-war counter-manifesto, Aufruf an die Europäer. The other two being physicist
Albert Einstein
and astronomer
Wilhelm Julius Foerster
.
He studied philosophy, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at the University of Heidelberg, and obtained his doctorate from the University of Marburg. Later he worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he translated works of Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, Unamuno and Alexander Herzen
Alexander Herzen
Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen was a Russian pro-Western writer and thinker known as the "father of Russian socialism", and one of the main fathers of agrarian populism...
. Additionally, with Kurt Wildhagen (1871-1949), he edited works by Turgenev, Gogol and two volumes of Ernst Cassirer
Ernst Cassirer
Ernst Cassirer was a German philosopher. He was one of the major figures in the development of philosophical idealism in the first half of the 20th century...
's edition of Kant
KANT
KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
's collected writings. During the 1920s he worked as a correspondent for the Argentine newspaper La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
.
From a philosophical standpoint Buek was an advocate of Neo-Kantianism
Neo-Kantianism
Neo-Kantianism refers broadly to a revived type of philosophy along the lines of that laid down by Immanuel Kant in the 18th century, or more specifically by Schopenhauer's criticism of the Kantian philosophy in his work The World as Will and Representation , as well as by other post-Kantian...
, and as a young man was a disciple of Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
philosopher Hermann Cohen
Hermann Cohen
Hermann Cohen was a German-Jewish philosopher, one of the founders of the Marburg School of Neo-Kantianism, and he is often held to be "probably the most important Jewish philosopher of the nineteenth century".-Life:...
(1848-1918). He was friends to physiologist and pacifist Georg Friedrich Nicolai
Georg Friedrich Nicolai
Georg Friedrich Nicolai was a German physiologist who studied at the University of Berlin, and later practiced medicine at the Charité in Berlin...
(1874-1964), and only one of three intellectuals in Germany who signed Nicolai's 1914 anti-war counter-manifesto, Aufruf an die Europäer. The other two being physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Wilhelm Julius Foerster
Wilhelm Julius Foerster
Wilhelm Julius Foerster was a German astronomer, father of the pacifist and ethicist Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster. His name can also be written Förster, but is usually written "Foerster" even in most German sources where 'ö' is otherwise used in the text.A native of Grünberg, Silesia, he worked as...
.
Selected publications
- Die Atomistik und Faradays Begriff der Materie (Atomism and FaradayMichael FaradayMichael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....
's Concept of Matter) in: Archiv für die Geschichte der Philosophie 18: 1904, 65-139; als Separatdruck auch: Reimer, Berlin 1905. - Kritik des Marxismus (Critique of MarxismMarxismMarxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
) in: Die Aktion 1911, Spalte 1029-1033. - Faradays System der Natur und seine begrifflichen Grundlagen (Faraday's System of Nature and its Conceptual Foundations) in: Philosophische Abhandlungen. Hermann Cohen zum 70sten Geburtstag dargebracht (4. Juli 1912); Cassirer, Berlin 1912.