ERDMANN, Johann Eduard. — Philosopher, professor, b. at Wolmar (Livonia) on 5 June 1805, d. at Halle on 12 June 1892. He studied at the Faculty of Theology in Berlin, where Hegel exercised a decisive influence on his formation and where he graduated (1834) and taught as a Privatdozent. In 1836 he was appointed professor of philosophy at the University of Halle.
E. remained always a Hegelian, adhering strictly to the dialectical method. He adhered to the “right” of this school, of conservative tendency, which, in opposition to the “left,” of pantheistic bent, defended the theistic interpretation of Hegel’s religious philosophy and upheld personal immortality and the divinity of Christ. More than for his speculative works, E. was important for his History of Modern Philosophy (1834–53), a fundamental work still esteemed today.