Gustav Theodor Fechner (Fechner Gustav Theodor)

(1801-1887)
Born April 19, 1801 in Gros-Zerhene near Muskau. His father, who inherited from his grandfather the post of village pastor, died when the boy was five years. Fechner grown uncle, also a preacher, a young man graduated from high school in Sora, then the Medical-Surgical Academy in Dresden. At age 16, was admitted to the Medical Faculty of University of Leipzig. Degree of Doctor of Medicine Fechner received in 1822. During the 12 years to earn his living by translating handbooks on physics and chemistry, as well as lectured at the university and published the results of his physical research. In 1834 he became professor of physics at Leipzig University.
In 1838, Fechner published work on the perception of color, and in 1839 a study on visual afterimage (visual sensations that persist beyond the termination of the stimulus).

In 1840-ies Fechner proposed the theory panpsihizma. The scientist believed that the events in the material world is an aspect of a single spiritual substance. This teaching is called Fechner Tagesansicht (day vision), unlike his contemporary materialism - Nachtansicht (night vision). In his writings Fechner has repeatedly opposed the materialism, starting with a book about the afterlife (Das Bchlein vom Leben nach dem Tode, 1836) up to day vision against night vision (Die Tagesansicht gegenber der Nachtansicht, 1879). The most famous of Fechner - Nunn, or the mental life of plants (Nanna, oder des Seelenleben der Pflanzen, 1848) and Zend-Avesta, or the phenomena of the heavens and the future life (Zend-Avesta, oder ber die Dinge des Himmels und des Jenseits, 1851). The latter work included the program of psychophysics, a new scientific field, which, according to Fechner, was to solve the problem of body and soul, to establish a functional relationship between the spiritual and material worlds.

Results of discussions on the measurement of mental phenomena, experimental methods and identification of patterns were summarized by Fechner in 1860 in his classic book Elements of Psychophysics (Elemente der Psychophysik).

In 1865 appeared the first publication of Fechner's dedicated to the measurement of aesthetic perception, and in 1876 released the classic work Introduction to the aesthetics (Vorschule der Aesthetik). In 1877, Fechner published the work on the topic of psychophysics (In Sachen der Psychophysik), and in 1882 revision of the principles of psychophysics (Revision der Hauptpunke der Psychophysik).

Died Fechner in Leipzig on Nov. 18, 1887.