Jacob Friedrich von Abel

Jacob Friedrich von Abel (9 May 1751 – 7 July 1829) was a German philosopher.[1] His main interest was the human soul and in trying to find a proof for its immortality.

Jacob Friedrich von Abel

Born in Vaihingen an der Enz, von Abel studied philology, philosophy and theology in the lower seminaries in Denkendorf and Maulbronn and in the higher seminary in Tübingen. He graduated in 1770 and was appointed professor of philosophy at the Militär-Pflanzschule at the Solitude Palace which moved later to Stuttgart.[2] While there, he was one of Schiller's teachers and a good friend (becoming the dedicatee of his second play, Fiesco).

In 1790 he was appointed professor of philosophy and headmaster of the Contubernium in Tübingen, in 1792 pedagogue of the Latin Schulen ob der Staig.[3] Notably during this period, he adopted renowned German idealist Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel as his protege, according to Hegel's sister. It is also known that Abel's short book in defence of traditional rational metaphysics against Kant's arguments, was one of the first pieces of literature on Kantianism which Hegel was exposed to[4]. In 1811 Abel became prelate, general superintendent in Oehringen and member of the executive authority of the Evangelic Church in Württemberg. In 1823 von Abel became general superintendent in Urach and Reutlingen, and lived in Stuttgart. He died on a leisure excursion in Schorndorf.

Jacob Friedrich von Abel was also a member of the Illuminatenorden, known as Pythagoras Abderites.

Publications
  • Einleitung in die Seelenlehre (1786)
  • Ausführliche Darstellung des Grundes unserez Glaubens an Unsterblichkeit (1826)
  • Sammlung und Erklärung merkwürdiger Erscheinungen aus dem menschlichen Leben (1784-1790, 3 volumes)

The latter contains in its second volume a story on which Schiller's Verbrecher aus Infamie, eine wahre Geschichte is based.

Sources
  1. Jacob Friedrich Abel: Karlsschul-Schriften. Eine ...
  2. Secret Societies and Weimar Classicism Archived 2007-06-11 at the Wayback Machine - scholarly essay discusses "Stuttgart professor Jacob Friedrich Abel, who was also an Illuminati member"
  3. A Metaprogrammer at the Door of Chapel Perilous
  4. Pinkard, Terry (2001-06-18). Hegel: A Biography. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521003872.
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