MENDELSSOHN Moses (Mendelssohn Moses)

(1729-1786)
Born in Dessau (Germany) September 6, 1729. Fundamentals of the Jewish religion, he studied under the guidance of his father, theologian Menachem Mendel and Rabbi David Girshelya Frankl, through which he began to study the philosophy of Maimonides. In 1743 Mendelssohn moved to Berlin, where he studied German literature, Latin, mathematics and philosophy, in particular the doctrine of Leibniz, Wolff and Locke. He earned a living lessons and maintaining books. In 1762 he married FrцЁmeta Guggenheim. The most famous descendant of Mendelssohn is his grandson, the composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
In 1754 Mendelssohn became acquainted with Lessing and other literary figures in Berlin. A year later his first work of philosophical conversation (Philosophische Gesprche), soon to join him on the reputation of the philosopher. In the same year a book appeared on the aesthetics of Letters on the sensations (Briefe ber die Empfindungen). In 1763, Mendelsohn was awarded the Prussian Academy of Arts for an essay about the evidence in metaphysical sciences (Abhandlung ber die Evidenz in der metaphysischen Wissenschaften, . published in 1764), . submitted for the contest, . which was attended by Kant himself,
. Four years later he published his most famous work - Phaedo, . or the immortality of the soul (Phdon, . oder ber die Unsterblichkeit der Seele, . 1767), . in which the reasoning of a man in his relationship with God and offered proof of the immortality of the human soul,
. This work has involved him in a dispute with a Swiss theologian Lavater, who challenged Mendelssohn, offering evidence to refute the tenets of Christianity contained in the writings of C. Bonnet, or stand on the position of Christianity. However, according to Mendelsohn, his philosophical views, only strengthened his religious views, and he continued to remain in positions of Judaism. Known and his dispute with Jacobi Spinozism Lessing. Mendelssohn also wrote of Jerusalem, . or the religious authorities and Judaism (Jerusalem, . oder ber religise Macht und Judentum, . 1783), . which defended the principle of religious tolerance, . well as mornings (Morgenstunden, . oder Vorlesungen ber das Dasein Gottes, . 1785) with the moral-theological proof of the existence of God and before, . with Lessing, . Pop-metaphysician (Pope ein Metaphysiker, . 1755) to justify the theodicy of Leibniz,
. He also translated into German Pentateuch and Psalms, wrote a commentary on some of the biblical books and several sermons in Yiddish. Mendelssohn usually regarded as the initiator of the movement 'Jewish Enlightenment'. His statement What is education? (Was ist Aufklrung?) In 1784 initiated a discussion on education in the late 18. Germany. Lessing published together with a number of magazines. Mendelssohn's ideas had an enormous influence on the development of ideas of the German education and reformed Judaism in the 19. Mendelssohn died in Berlin on January 4, 1786

. Among other works of the philosopher - On the Principles of Fine Arts and Sciences (Betrachtungen ber die Quellen und die Verbindungen der schnen Knste und Wissenschaften, . 1757), On the sublime and naive in the fine sciences (ber das Erhabene und Naive in den schnen Wissenschaften, . 1758).,