WILLMANN, OTTO. – Philosopher and distinguished pedagogist, born in Lissa (Posnania) on 24 April 1839, died in Leitmeritz on 1 July 1920. He studied in Breslau and Berlin; he taught in Leipzig (1863–68), Vienna (1868–1872), and Prague (1872–1903).
Of a Catholic family, after an initial adherence to the principles of Herbartianism he turned to Catholic thought. From the standpoint of Thomism, he undertook an extensive critique of modern philosophy and pedagogy. His attacks on Kant provoked lively discussions on the relationship between Thomistic and Kantian philosophy. His many works deal with the most varied aspects of didactics, pedagogy, and philosophy. Worth recalling are: Pädagogische Vorträge über die Hebung der geistigen Tätigkeit durch den Unterricht (1868, 4th ed. 1905); Gesch. des Idealismus (3 vols., 1894–97; 2nd ed. 1907); Grundlinien idealer Weltanschauung (1905); Die Wissenschaft vom Gesichtspunkt der katholischen Wahrheit (1916, 2nd ed. 1928).