HÖFFDING, HARALD. — Philosopher, born in Copenhagen on 11 January 1843, professor at this University from 1883, died there on 2 June 1931.
H. was particularly influenced by Kierkegaard, Kant, Schopenhauer, and positivism. He opposed metaphysics and, in particular, intuitionism. In religion he distinguished two aspects: an attempt to explain the world, which, in his view, arrives only at negative results, and the affirmation of the existence of a system of values, which must submit to the test of criticism and cannot conflict with the demands of modern consciousness. Theological dogmas in philosophy correspond to problems. Besides the philosophy of religion, he was particularly concerned with psychology, ethics, epistemology, and the history of modern philosophy.
Principal works (many of them translated into Italian, French, English, and German, and some also into Spanish, Polish, Russian, Finnish, and even Japanese): Den nyere filosofis historie (History of Modern Philosophy, 2 vols., Copenhagen 1894–95, Italian trans., 1st ed., Milan 1906); Psychologi i Omrids paa Grundlag af Erfaring (Outlines of Psychology on the Basis of Experience, Copenhagen 1881); Etik (there 1887); Religionsfilosofi (there 1901); Moderne Filosofer (there 1904). He also wrote historical monographs on Kierkegaard, Rousseau, and Bergson, and on Spinoza’s ethics. In Danish only: Mindre Arbejder (Minor Writings); Oplevelse og Tydning (Immediate Feeling [*Erlebnis, feeling] and meaning, there 1918); Udvalgte Skrifter (Selected Writings, 7 vols., there 1902 ff.); Danske Filosofers (Danish Philosophy*, there 1919).