ERDMANN, JOHANN EDUARD. - Philosopher, Protestant, b. at Wolmar (Livonia) on 5 June 1805, d. at Halle on 12 June 1802. He studied at the Faculty of Theology in Berlin, where Hegel exercised a decisive influence on his formation and where he took his degree (1834) and taught as a privatdozent. In 1836 he was appointed professor of philosophy at the University of Halle.
E. always remained a Hegelian, adhering closely to the dialectical method. He joined the “right” wing of this school, of conservative tendency, which, in opposition to the “left,” of pantheistic character, defended the theistic interpretation of Hegel’s religious philosophy and upheld man’s 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 held in esteem today.
BIBLI: J. E. Erdmann, Versuch einer wissenschaftlichen Darstellung der neueren Philosophie, mit einer Einführung in J. E. Erdmanns Leben und Werke von H. Gleckner, 7 vols., Stuttgart 1932. Giovanni Muller