FromVölkerpsychologieto Cultural Anthropology: Erich Rothacker’s Philosophy of Culture

Abstract

Erich Rothacker (1888–1965) was a key figure in early twentieth-century philosophy in Germany. In this article, I examine the development of Rothacker’s philosophy of culture from 1907 to 1945. Rothacker began his philosophical career with a “völkerpsychological” dissertation on history, outlining his early biologistic conception of culture (1907–13). In his midcareer work, he then turned to Wilhelm Dilthey’s (1833–1911) Lebensphilosophie (philosophy of life), advancing a hermeneutic approach to culture (1919–28). In his later work (1929–45), Rothacker developed a cultural anthropology. I will argue that Rothacker’s later theory of culture retained key motifs of his earlier works. In this way, I trace central aspects of Rothacker’s reception of both Völkerpsychologie and Lebensphilosophie. The article focuses on two aspects of Rothacker’s philosophical development that deserve more attention than they have received to date: his reception of Völkerpsychologie and the political character of his theories of culture. Rothacker’s theoretical work was closely connected to his political conservatism, which culminated in his engagement with National Socialism. The article unearths problematic aspects of the legacy of Völkerpsychologie and Lebensphilosophie in early twentieth-century German thought.