In terms of the history of philosophy, he is the first Western philosopher to examine Eastern philosophy with a scientific approach. Paul Deussen concentrated his work on the study of Indian philosophy and the interpretation of Schopenhauer's thought.
(1845-1919) German, philosopher and linguist. He researched the relationship between Schopenhauer's thoughts and Indian philosophy. He was born in Oberdreis in Neuwied in January 1845 and died in Kiel on 6 July 1919. He is the son of a protestant clergyman. Their friendship with Nietzsche, which began in their secondary school years, continued until the beginning of their higher education when Nietzsche went to Leipzig from the University of Bonn. Two years later, Deussen moved to the University of Berlin and received his doctorate in 1869 with a work on Plato. While working as a private teacher in Geneva in 1872, he became interested in Sanskrit and Indian philosophy. He became a professor at the University of Berlin in 1887 and at the University of Kiel in 1889. He founded the Schopenhauer Society in 1912.
Paul Jakob Deussen (7 January 1845 – 6 July 1919) was a German Indologist and professor of philosophy at University of Kiel.[1] Strongly influenced by Arthur Schopenhauer, Deussen was a friend of Friedrich Nietzsche and Swami Vivekananda. In 1911, he founded the Schopenhauer Society (Schopenhauer-Gesellschaft). Professor Deussen was the first editor, in 1912, of the scholarly journal Schopenhauer Yearbook (Schopenhauer-Jahrbuch).
Paul Deussen concentrated his work on the study of Indian philosophy and the interpretation of Schopenhauer's thought.
He established a metaphysical connection between Indian philosophy and Schopenhauer's thoughts and meanwhile translated many Sanskrit philosophical works into German. What directs Deussen's work is the idea that all religions and philosophical systems are essentially based on a single truth. The history of philosophy, as a science, should aim to reveal this common truth. To do this, it is necessary to remove the cover of myth that hides the essence of each of them. Deussen, who set out with this idea in his work Allgemeine Geschichtc der Philosophie (“General History of Philosophy”), which he completed in twenty years, devoted the first volume to a detailed examination of Indian philosophy. In the second volume, he discussed Western philosophy from Ancient Greek philosophy to Schopenhauer. He also examined the Bible in one episode.
He also has a 13-volume work on Schopenhauer. He argues that Schopenhauer made an analysis that is compatible with his own view, especially for Kant's philosophy. He is a well-known interpreter of Schopenhauer, as well as one of the first interpreters of Jacob Böhme. In addition, in terms of the history of philosophy, he is the first Western philosopher to examine Eastern philosophy with a scientific approach.
Works of Paul Deussen:
Das System des Vedanta, 1883,
Die Sutras des Vedanta, 1887,
Die Elemente der Metaphysik, 1887,
Allgemeine Geschichte der Philosophie, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Religionen, 2 volumes, 1894-1917.