ERDMANN, BENNO. - Philosopher, born at Glogau (Silesia) on 30 May 1851, died at Berlin on 7 Jan. 1921. He studied philosophy and science at Berlin and Heidelberg. He taught at the Universities of Kiel, Breslavia, Halle, Bonn, and Berlin. He was influenced by Bonitz, Helmholtz, and Zeller. He is the principal founder of Kantphilologie.
He began his scholarly career with the dissertation, published only in part, Über die Stellung des Dinges an sich in Kant's Ästhetik und Analytik (Berlin 1873), followed by a Nachtrag zu Kant's Werken and an extensive monograph on M. Knutson und seine Zeit (Leipzig 1876). According to E., Kant’s intention was not to dethrone metaphysics, but to replace false metaphysics with true metaphysics, or rather to prepare it through a propaedeutic (cf. Kants Kritizium in der ersten und zweite Aufl. der Kritik der r. Vernunft, ibid. 1878). E.’s systematic works began with Die Axiome der Geometrie (ibid. 1876) and culminated in the Logische Elementarlehre (Halle 1892), subsequently revised (1907) so as to constitute a complete work worthy of being placed beside those of Sigwart, Brentano, and Lotze. He also pursued psychological studies with the Unrisse zur Psychologie des Denkens (Tübingen 1900, 2nd ed. 1908) and Reproduktionspsychologie (Berlin 1920).
The fundamental trait of his historical and theoretical investigations was fidelity to the data. He defended the rights and function of experience, accepting the best aspects of positivism and Kantianism.
BIBLI: E. Wentscher, B. E. als Historiker d. Philos., in Kantstudien, 26 (1921); id., B. E. 1. Stellung zu Kant's Ethik, ibid., 32 (1927). Further references in W. Ziegenfuss, Philosophen-Lexikon, I, Berlin 1949, pp. 292-98. Andrea Ferro