Hans Halvorson Physics, Logic, Philosophy

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, Poul. “FC Sibbern: Epistemology as Ontology.” Danish Yearbook of Philosophy 13, no. 1 (1976): 84-104.
  • 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