Talk:Gustav Fechner

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According to Dagobert Runes, the renowned philosphical scholar -- an expert on Spinoza who wrote at least one short introduction to that philosopher as well as a valuable "Spinoza Dictionary" graced with an introduction by another Spinoza enthusiast, Albert Einstein -- Fechner "regarded the world from a mechanistic viewpoint" and "almost became an atheist" early in his life but was converted radically to an opposite position when he read Lorenz Oken's "Philosophy of Nature." Runes describes Oken as a disciple of Schelling. Fechner thereafter, according to Runes, became a "confirmed theist."

There is, of course, a very interesting article about Lorenz Oken on wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_Oken. Dagobert Runes makes the above statements in his introductory remarks about Fechner in his "Treasury of Philosophy" (Philosophical Library: 1955) and also in his lengthier article on Fechner in his large-format pictorial history of philosophy, published by the Philosophical Library around the same time as his "Treasury."

[edit] On Freud and the Unconscious

I have removed a couple of sections claiming that Fechner influenced Freud through the book, "Philosophy of the Unconscious." Actually, Eduard von Hartmann wrote that book, and as far as I can tell, Fechner did not have any direct influence on Freud, at least no more than any German philosopher or scientist working in that century. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please discuss it here. --Jcbutler (talk) 20:08, 30 January 2008 (UTC)