Frederik Christian Sibbern
Frederik Christian Sibbern 1785-1872 was one of two philosophy
professors at the University of Copenhagen while Kierkegaard was a
student. He was a student of Niels Treschow in Copenhagen, and then
took a study tour to Germany (1811-13) where he met Fichte, and was
especially inspired by Schelling. (The close affinities between
Kierkegaard and Fichte and Schelling might also have something to do
with Sibbern’s influence on Kierkegaard.) Sibbern was appointed
professor at Københavns Universitet in 1813, a position which he held
until 1870.
In 1838, Sibbern published an anti-Hegelian tract Bemærkninger og
Underssøgelser, fornemmelig betreffende Hegels Philosophie, making
him – along with Poul Martin Møller – the starting point of Danish
resistance to Hegel, and the beginning of a distinctive approach to
philosophy. (Well, some might say that this approach to philosophy had
already been carved out by Ludvig Holberg.)
- 1785: Born in Christianshavn, Copenhagen
- Attended the German church school, and then Herlufsholm
- 1802: Entered University of Copenhagen. His philosophy teacher was
Niels Treschow. He distinguished himself so much that Treschow
recommended him to be his successor when he left Copenhagen for
Christiania (Oslo) in 1811.
Sibbern’s works
- Om Erkjendelse og Granskning. Til Indledning i det akademiske
Studium. 1822.
- Efterladte Breve af Gabrielis. 1826.
- Logik som Tænkelære. 1827.
- Bemærkninger og Underssøgelser, fornemmelig betreffende Hegels
Philosophie. 1838.
- Psychologie, indledet ved almindelig Biologie, i sammentrængt
Fremstilling. 1843.
- Om Filosofiens Begreb, Natur og Væsen. 1843.
- Spekulativ Kosmologi med grundlag til en spekulativ
Theologi. 1846.
Secondary literature
- Hjort, SD. “Filosoffernes Psykologitradition” Psyke og Logos, 2000.
- Himmelstrup, J. Sibbern. En Monografi. 1934.
- Høffding, H. “Frederik Christian Sibbern”, in Minde Arbejder
https://da.wikisource.org/wiki/Frederik_Christian_Sibbern
- Kallmoes, P. Frederik Christian Sibbern: Træk af en dansk Filosofs
Liv og Tænkning. 1946.
- Koch, CH. “Frederik Christian Sibbern: ‘the lovable, remarkable
thinker, Councilor Sibbern’ and ‘the political Simple-Peter
Sibbern’.” In Volume 7, Tome I: Kierkegaard and his Danish
Contemporaries, pp. 249-280. 2016.
- Lübcke, P. “F. C. Sibbern: Epistemology as Ontology” Danish
Yearbook of Philosophy, 1976.
- Stewart, J. “Sibbern’s anticipations of Kierkegaard’s polemic
against the Hegelians: The critique of abstraction” Kierkegaard
Studies Yearbook, pp. 353-370, 2021.
- Stewart, J. A History of Hegelianism in Golden Age Denmark doi:10.1163/9789004534827_003
External resources