Litt, Theodore

Litt, Theodore 

Born Dec. 27, 1880, in Düsseldorf; died July 16, 1962, in Bonn. German idealist philosopher and educator. Professor at the University of Bonn (beginning in 1919 and again in 1947) and the University of Leipzig (1920–37, 1945–47).

Litt’s works are principally devoted to problems of culture, sociology, and education. His views were formed under the influence of W. Dilthey, G. Simmel, and E. Husserl. In his philosophy ideas of neo-Hegelianism are definitive and are interwoven with themes of the philosophy of life. In education, Litt studied historic forms of education and its distinctive features under conditions of contemporary technological civilization.

WORKS

Individuum und Gemeinschaft, 3rd ed. Leipzig, 1926.
Geschichte und Leben, 3rd ed. Leipzig-Berlin, 1930.
Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Pädagogik, 2nd ed. Leipzig-Berlin, 1931.
Hegel Heidelberg, 1953.
Mensch und Welt, 2nd ed. Heidelberg, 1961.
Technisches Denken und menschliche Bildung, 3rd ed. Heidelberg, 1964.
Führen oder Wachsenlassen?, 13th ed. Stuttgart, 1967.
Ethik der Neuzeit, vols. 1–2, 2nd ed. Munich, 1968.
Naturwissenschaft und Menschenbildung, 5th ed. Heidelberg, 1968.

REFERENCES

Erkenntnis und Verantwortung (festschrift). Düsseldorf, 1960. (Bibliography.)
Lassahn, R. Das Selbstverständnis der Pädagogik Th. Litts. Düsseldorf, 1968.

A. P. OGURTSOV