Ernst Laas

Laas during his time in Strasbourg

Ernst Laas (born June 16, 1837 in Fürstenwalde/Spree; died July 25, 1885 in Strasbourg) was a high school teacher, philosopher of positivism and education, and chair of philosophy and pedagogy at the University of Strasbourg. The insights he found in the history of philosophy and philosophies based on sensualism are key aspects of his scholarly work.

Biography

Laas grew up as the son of the master tailor Johann Peter Laas (1807–57) and his wife Berta Ida Flora (1818–52), née Beil, in economically limited circumstances in Fürstenwalde, Brandenburg, Prussia. Ernst’s childhood was marked by various hardships, especially during the difficult years of 1846 and 1847 and the revolutionary period that followed. His father loyally supported the royalists, which led to retribution from the opposing party; they boycotted his work. During this time as a young boy, Ernst and his younger brother had to collect firewood from the heath after school each day to help their parents, who struggled just to provide the most basic food through their hard work. When Ernst completed his education at the local school and was ready to choose a career, he faced the bleak prospect of becoming a waiter, an errand boy, or a tailor’s apprentice. But thanks to the support of the school principal Rector Gaedke, and General von Massow who admired his father’s loyalty to the crown, he was able to attend the Joachimsthal Gymnasium. From 1854 to 1856, he worked as a private tutor. He then enrolled at the University of Berlin and studied theology and philosophy under Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg. Trendelenburg was known for his knowledge of the history of philosophy and taught in his lectures that a philosopher could learn much for his own thinking and about the thinking of others from the history of philosophy. Laas received his doctorate in philosophy in 1859 with a dissertation on The Meaning of Aristotle’s Eudaimonia and Its Significance in Ethics (Eudaimonia Aristotelis in ethicis principium quid velit et valeat).

In 1860, he became a teacher of German, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew at the renowned Friedrichs-Gymnasium in Berlin and, in 1868, at the Berlin Wilhelm-Gymnasium. In 1861, he married Martha (1839–1919), née Vogeler and had five sons. His first major publication emerged from his teaching experiences—a guide on teaching German essay writing in the first class of the gymnasium which was published in 1868. Around the same time, he was appointed as a senior teacher with the title of professor at Wilhelms-Gymnasium. He published further studies on German instruction in 1870 and 1871, which led to plans for a thorough revision of his first book. However, his appointment as a full professor at the University of Strasbourg in 1872, advocated by Trendelenburg, somewhat disrupted these plans. Nonetheless, he published German Instruction at Higher Educational Institutions in the same year and revised his earlier work on essay writing in 1876. Additionally, he published The Pedagogy of Johannes Sturm in 1872 and a small treatise on Gymnasium and Realschule in 1875. In 1872, he received a full professorship in philosophy at the newly re-established Kaiser Wilhelm University of Strasbourg, a position he held until his death.

In his lectures, he initially dealt with literary and cultural-historical topics (including Luther, Lessing, Herder, and Goethe) and educational themes. He lectured on pedagogy during the time of Humanism and the Reformation and on educational theories in ancient and modern times. His lectures always included philosophical elements. From 1878 onwards, he lectured exclusively on philosophy and further educated himself in mathematics and the natural sciences. His main philosophical works include Kant’s Analogies of Experience in 1876 and Idealism and Positivism, a three-volume series published between 1879 and 1884, among other publications and reviews.

Despite his critical stance towards theology and romanticism, Laas acknowledged the emotional dimensions of Christianity and the moral significance of art. His commitment to intellectual freedom and rigor made him a respected figure among his students and colleagues, even as he challenged their views and fostered an environment of critical evaluation and growth. One of his most influential students was the Neo-Kantian philosopher Paul Natorp. Natorp wrote in his obituary for Laas that his approach to education – emphasizing independence over imitation – left a lasting impact on his students and the philosophical community. Natorp became a student and worked with Laas on achieving a coherent version of positivism when he went to Strasburg in 1876. But Natorp ended up eventually going against his positivism. “Just when I thought I had grasped the ‘consistency’ of positivism that we had long sought together, it then appeared to me as an illusion. And so from that point on, the historical progression from Hume to Kant now seemed justifiable to me.” In the end, despite the rigorous mentorship, differences in philosophical outlook eventually led to the cessation of a long-standing collaboration with the fellow philosopher, described by Laas in a letter to Natorp as a divergence of “natural destiny.” Laas then pointed Natorp towards the Kantians from whom he believed he would gain more support than from him. Natorp's move away from positivism struck Laas as “almost elegiac.” Nonetheless, Natorp credits Laas with inspiring his commitment for the essential integration of historical and specialized research within philosophy. In fact, Natorp views himself as both a disciple of Laas and an adherent of Hermann Cohen's perspectives, finding joy in the synthesis of these influences. For Laas's historical-philosophical method advocates for a methodical examination of the origins and development of philosophy as a science, using scientific viewpoints and philosophical principles to uncover underlying systematic principals. This approach seeks to reveal the inherent order within what might initially appear as chaotic philosophical progressions. Characterized by Natorp as a form of "constructing" history, this method is therefore based on the premise that understanding the "syntax" of a science prevents its history from appearing disjointed.

Another one of his students – the Viennese philosopher Benno Kerry (1858–1889) – published his literary remains after his death. According to Kerry, Laas published knowledgeable and detailed studies on the theoretical philosophy of his time, especially on Kant. Nonetheless, he was namely known for his three-volume chief work Idealism and Positivism in which he advocated for the supremacy of positivism over idealist thinking. For Laas, the facts (Tatsachen) of his positivism were the representations that people develop about the world through “precieving” (warnehmen, Laas’s idiosyncratic spelling, which he consistently used instead of wahrnehmen) or “feeling” (empfinden). He considered this sensualistic or positivistic approach to be philosophically superior and more productive than the idealistic approach of most of his contemporaries. In contrast to what he believed to be the problem with idealist philosophy, Laas always stressed that any fact he asserted could be verified, addressed, and developed further by anyone who wished to do so.

Laas’s positivist philosophy found much resonance in Strasbourg during his lifetime. However, it also became the source for controversial discussions on epistemology and moral philosophy. Laas, for example, asserted – similar to Hume and Mill, and in contrast to proponents of Kantian philosophy – that human reason is not capable of producing ideas and concepts that guarantee the objectivity of our knowledge and moral actions. People are always dependent on what they “perceive” and “feel.”

In 1882, the Neo-Kantian Windelband was appointed to Strasbourg. On his view, Laas’s positivist philosophy was a radical relativism or anti-philosophical sophistry that questioned philosophical values, such as objective knowledge and morality. And so, Windelband saw it – according to Klaus Köhnke’s interpretation – as his “missionary task” to reassert traditional German, particularly Kantian and idealistic, philosophy in Strasbourg against Laas. According to Köhnke, this was expressly supported by the ministry for political reasons. In 1884, Laas attacked Windelband’s Kritische oder genetische Methode? in his essay Ueber teleologischen Kriticismus.

But due to overwork, he suffered from health issues as early as 1877. Despite this, he completed his three-volume Idealism and Positivism and barely rested until he sent off the last manuscript in September of the previous year. But a ten-day stay in the Black Forest was hardly sufficient recovery for him. In November, he became seriously ill with a kidney disease, which was compounded by asthma and insomnia. After a brief resurgence in the winter, his health rapidly declined. He lost consciousness on July 23 and passed away on July 25 at 3:30 p.m.

His grave is located in the Cimetière Saint-Gall in Strasbourg-Koenigshoffen (Section 5A-2-8).

Works

His chief educational works were Der deutsche Aufsatz in den ersten Gymnasialklassen (1868), and Der deutsche Unterricht auf höhern Lehranstalten (1872; 2nd ed. 1886). He contributed largely to the Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie (1880–82); the Literarischer Nachlass, a posthumous collection, was published at Vienna (1887). None of Laas work’s have been translated into English.

Here is a complete list of his works taken from Paul Kannengiesser’s obituary for Laas.

1. Philosophical Writings.

Books and Articles.

(1859) “Eudaimonia Aristotelis in ethicis principium quid velit et valeat.” [“The Meaning of Aristotle’s Eudaimonia and Its Significance in Ethics.”] PhD diss. University of Berlin. Digitized.

(1863) Aristotelische Textesstudien. [Studies in Aristotelian Texts (Concerns the first four books of Physics)]. Programm des Friedrichs-Gymnasiums, Berlin: Gustav Lange. Digitized.

(1876) Kants Analogien der Erfahrung. Eine kritische Studie über die Grundlagen der theoretischen Philosophie. [Kant’s Analogies of Experience. A critical Study of the Foundations of Theoretical Philosophy] Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1879) Idealismus und Positivismus. Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung. Erster, allgemeiner und grundlegender Teil. [Idealism and Positivism. A Critical Examination. First, General and Foundational Part] Vol. 1, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1880) “Die Causalität des Ich.” [“The Causality of the I.”] In: Viertel Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie, edited by Richard Avenarius, pp. 1–54; 185–224; 311–367, Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag (R. Reisland). Digitized.

(1881/1882) “Vergeltung und Zurechnung.” [“Retribution and Attribution.”] In: Viertel Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie, edited by Richard Avenarius. 1881: pp. 137–185; 296–348; 448–489; 1882: pp. 189–233; 295–329. Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag (R. Reisland). Digitized: 1881; 1882.

(1882) Idealismus und Positivismus. Zweiter Teil: Idealistische und positivistische Ethik. [Idealism and Positivism. Part Two: Idealist and Positivist Ethics] Vol. 2, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1882). Kants Stellung in der Geschichte des Konflikts zwischen Glauben und Wissen. Eine Studie. [Kant’s Role in the History of the Conflict Between Faith and Knowledge. A Study.] Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1883). “Aphorismen über Staat und Kirche.” [“Aphorisms on Church and State.”] In: Viertel Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie, edited by Richard Avenarius, pp. 1–16, Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag (R. Reisland). Digitized.

(1883). “Zur Frauenfrage.” [“On the Woman Question.”] In: Deutsche Zeit- und Streitfragen. Jahrgang, edited by Franz von Holzendorff, vol. 12. no. 184. pp. 297–332, Berlin: Carl Habel. Digitized.

(1884). “Über teleologischen Kriticismus.” [“On Teleological Criticism.”] In: Viertel Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie, edited by Richard Avenarius, pp. 1–17, Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag (R. Reisland). Digitized.

(1884). “Neuere Untersuchungen über Protagoras.” [“Recent Investigations into Protagoras”] In: Viertel Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie, edited by Richard Avenarius, pp. 479–497, Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag (R. Reisland). Digitized.

(1884). Idealismus und Positivismus. Dritter Teil: Idealistische und positivistische Erkenntnistheorie. [Idealism and Positivism. Part Three: Idealist and Positivist Epistemology.] vol. 3, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1884. Digitized.

(1884). “Einige Bemerkungen zur Transcendentalphilosophie.” [“Some Remarks on Transcendental Philosophy.”] In: Strassburger Abhandlungen zur Philosophie. Eduard Zeller zu seinem siebenzigsten Geburtstage, edited by Paul Siebeck, 61–84, Freiburg and Tübingen: Akademische Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1884. Digitized.

(1887) Literarischer Nachlass. [Unpublished Literary Remains] Edited by Benno Kerry, Vienna: Deutschen Worte, 1887. Digitized.

Book Advertisements and Reviews

1874) Review of G. Teichmüller’s “Ueber die Unsterblichkeit der Seele.” In: Philosophische Monatshefte, edited by F. Ascherson, J. Bergmann, and E. Bratuscheck, vol. 10. no. 3. pp. 111–134, Berlin: F. Henschel. Digitized.

(1879) “Selbstanzeigen für Idealismus und Positivismus. Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung. Erster, allgemeiner und grundlegender Theil.” In: Viertel Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie, edited by Richard Avenarius, pp. 503–504, Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag (R. Reisland). Digitized.

(1880) Review of A. Netter’s “De l'intuition dans des découvertes et inventions, ses rapports avec le positivisme et le Darwinisme.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 3, p. 92, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1880) Review of J. H. Witte’s “Die Philosophie unserer Dichterheroen. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des deutschen Realismus. I Band: Lessing und Herder.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 13, p. 445, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1881) Review of H. Girard’s “La philosophie scientifique. Science, art et philosophie. Mathématiques, sciences physiques et naturelles, sciences sociales, art de la guerre.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 9, pp. 316–318, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1881) Review of “G. W. Leibniz Philosophische Schriften. Herausg. von C. J. Gerhardt. IV Band.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 17, pp. 659–660, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1881) Review of G. Biedermann’s “Philosophie als Begriffswissenschaft. I Teil. Die Wissenschaft des Geistes.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 26, pp. 1035–1036, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1881) Review of M. J. Gaufrès’s “Claude Baduel et la Réforme des Études au XVIe siècle. Ouvrage couronné par l'académie de Nîmes.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 38, pp. 1467–1468, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of H. Brocher’s “Les révolutions du droit, Études historiques destinées à faciliter l'intelligence des instructions sociales. Tome II: L'enfantement du droit par la guerre.” In: Göttinger Gelehrte Anzeigen. Unter er Aufsicht der Königl. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, no. 46, pp. 1456–1466, Göttingen: Dieterich’sche Verlags-Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1882) Review of Rud. Eucken “Zur Erinnerung an K. G. F. Krause. Festrede gehalten zu Eisenberg am 100. Geburtstage des Philosophen.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 4, pp. 124–125, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of G. M. Schultzky’s “Das Quadrat der Bildung. Mathematisch-philosophische Erwägungen. Mit einer lithogr. Taf.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 16, pp. 563–564, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of Georg Voigt’s “Friedrich Rückerts Gedankenlyrik nach ihrem philosophischen Inhalte dargestellt.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 20, p. 708, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of James Sully’s “Illusions, a psychological Study.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 23, pp. 819, Berlin: Weidmannsche,. Digitized.

(1882) Review of Joh. Heinr. Loewe’s “Lehrbuch der Logik.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 31, pp. 1107–1108, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of Karl Christ. Friedr. Krause’s “Vorlesungen über Aesthetik oder über die Philosophie des Schönen und der schönen Kunst. Aus dem handschriftlichen Nachlasse des Verfassers herausg. von Paul Hohlfeld und Aug. Wünsche. Angehängt: 3 Dresdener Vorlesungen, ein Brieffragment und eine Abhandlung über Schönheit und 3 Tafeln über die Gliedbauverschiedenheit der poetischen Schönheit, die Kunst und die Baukunst.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 40, pp. 1411–1412, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of Hugo Sommer’s “Ueber das Wesen und die Bedeutung der menschlichen Freiheit und deren moderne Widersacher.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 43, pp. 1525–1526, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of “Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz philosophische Schriften. Herausg. von C. J. Gerhardt. V Bd.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 45, pp. 1603–1604, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of Joh. Friedr. Herbarts’s “Sämmtliche Werke. In chronologischer Reihenfolge herausg. von Karl Kehrbach. I Bd. Mit einer lithograph. Taf.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 51, pp. 1819–1820, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1882) Review of Herm. Rehberg’s “Die Principien der monistischen Naturreligion. Moderne Anschauungen über Religionsreformen.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 52, p. 1851, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1883) Review of Hugo Ginsberg’s “Spinozae opera philosophica. Mit Einleitungen herausg. Vol I–IV.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 8, pp. 261–262, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1883) Review of Theodor von Varnbüler’s “Die Lehre vom Sein.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 29, p. 1027, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1883) Review of Georg von Giżycki’s “Grundzüge der Moral. Gekrönte Preisschrift.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 32, pp. 1122–1123, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1883) Review of Edw. Caird’s “Hegel.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 34, pp. 1187–1188, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1883) Review of Karl Uphues’s “Grundlehren er Logik.” In: Viertel Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Philosophie, edited by Richard Avenarius, pp. 231–247, Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag (R. Reisland). Digitized.

(1884) Review of F. Schmidt-Warneck’s “Die Sociologie Fichtes.” In: Göttinger Gelehrte Anzeigen. Unter er Aufsicht der Königl. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, no. 22, pp. 889–893, Göttingen: Dieterich’sche Verlags-Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1884) Review of Friedr. Ueberwegs’s “Grundriss der Geschichte der Philosophie. III Teil. Die Neuzeit. 6. mit einem Philosophien- und Litteratoren-Register versehene Aufl. Bearb. und herausg. von Max Heinze.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 2, pp. 43–44, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1884) Review of Louis Philbert’s “Le Rire. Essai littéraire, moral et psychologique.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 16, p. 572, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1884) Review of Franz Staudinger’s “Noumena. Die »transcendentalene Grundgedanken« und die »Widerlegung des Idealismus«.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 36, pp. 1300–1301, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1884) Review of Raph. Koeber’s “Das philosophische System Eduard von Hartmanns.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 41, pp. 1500–1501, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1885) Review of Élie Rabier’s “Leçons de philosophie. I. Psychologie.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 7, pp. 217–218, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

2. Writings on Pedagogy and Literary History.

Books and Articles.

(1868/1877). Der deutsche Aufsatz in der ersten Gymnasialklasse (Prima). Ein Handbuch für Lehrer und Schüler, enthaltend Theorie und Materialien, zusammengestellt aus den Erträgen und Erfahrungen des Unterrichts. [The German Essay in the First Grammar School Class (Prima). A Handbook for Teachers and Students, Containing Theory and Materials, Compiled from the Results and Experiences of Teaching.] Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Second print 1874. Second, revised edition: Der deutsche Aufsatz in den oberen Gymnasialklassen. Theorie und Materialien. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1877. 1st edition; 2nd edition.

(1870). “Der deutsche Unterricht auf höheren Lehranstalten.” [“German Instruction in Upper Secondary Schools.”] In: Zeitschrift für das Gymnasialwesen, edited by H. Bonitz, R. Jacobs, P. Buhle, no. 24, pp. 177–243; 625–662; 705–752, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1871). “Zum deutschen Unterricht.” [“On German Instruction.”] In: Zeitschrift für das Gymnasialwesen, edited by H. Bonitz, R. Jacobs, P. Buhle, no. 24, pp. 561–629; 848–852, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1871). “Goethe und das Elsass.” [“Goethe and Alsace.”] In: Die Grenzboten, vol. 1, no. 30, pp. 13–18; 44–50, Leipzig: Friedrich Ludwig Herbig. Digitized.

(1871). “Herders Einwirkung auf die deutsche Lyrik.” [“Herder's Influence on German Poetry.”] In: Die Grenzboten, vol. 2, no. 30, pp. 534–548; 577–584; 609–618; 654–662, Leipzig: Friedrich Ludwig Herbig. Digitized.

(1872). Der deutsche Unterricht auf höheren Lehranstalten. Ein kritisch-organisatorischer Versuch. [German Instruction in Higher Secondary Schools. A Critical and Organizational Essay.] Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1872). Die Pädagogik des Johannes Sturm historisch und kritisch beleuchtet. [A Historical and Critical Look at the Pedagogy of Johannes Sturm.] Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1875). “Gymnasium und Realschule. Alte Fragen mit Rücksicht auf das bevorstehende Preussische Unterrichtsgesetz historisch und kritisch von Neuem beleuchtet.” [“Gymnasium and Realschule. Old Questions with Regard to the Upcoming Prussian Teaching Law Examined Historically and Critically from a New Perspective.”] In: Deutsche Zeit- und Streitfragen. Jahrgang, edited by Franz von Holzendorff and W. Oncken, vol. 4. no. 49–50. pp. 1–96, Berlin: Carl Habel. Digitized.

Book Advertisements and Reviews

(1860). Review of Heinrich Viehoff’s “Vorschule der Dichtkunst, theoretisch-praktische Anleitung zum deutschen Vers- und Strophenbau mit vielen Aufgaben und beigegebenen Lösungen.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 28 pp. 296–304, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized

(1860). Review of H. Kurz’s “Leitfaden zur Geschichte der deutschen Literatur.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 28 pp. 308–312, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1861). Review of “Bändchen von den Erläuterungen zu den deutschen Klassikern. Nos. 19. 22. 23.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig, no. 29 pp. 299–303, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1862). Review of “Wilhelm von Humboldt's Aesthetische Versuche über Goethe's Hermann und Dorothea. Dritte Auflage. Mit einem Vorwort von Hermann Hettner.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 31 pp. 198–202, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1862). Review of Theodor Kind’s “Anthologie neugriechischer Volkslieder im Original mit deutscher Uebersetzung.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 31 pp. 206–213, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1862). Review of “Klopstock's Oden, erläutert von Heinrich Düntzer. 6 Hefte.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 32 pp. 223–224, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1862). Review of Chr. von Bomhard’s “Dreissig Themata zu Aufsätzen für die höheren Unterrichtsanstahen.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 32 pp. 224–225, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1862). Review of Moritz Müller’s “Zu Göthe's Geburtstag! Ein Gedenkblättchen, Freunden und Gesinnungsgenossen gewidmet.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 32 p. 225, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1862). “Noch ein Wort zu Düntzer's Erläuterungen.” In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, edited by Ludwig Herrig. no. 32 p. 452–456, Braunschweig: George Westermann. Digitized.

(1883) Review of O. Apelt’s “Der deutsche Aufsatz in der Prima des Gymnasiums. Ein historisch-kritischer Versuch.” In: Zeitschrift für das Gymnasialwesen, edited by H. Kern and H. J. Müller, no. 37, pp. 672–679, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1883) Review of Otto Willmann’s “Didaktik als Bildungslehre nach ihren Beziehungen zur Socialforschung und zur Geschichte der Bildung. I Bd. Einleitung. Die geschichtlichen Typen des Bildungswesens.” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 1, pp. 5–6, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

(1884) Review of G. Wendt’s “Aufgaben zu deutschen Aufsätzen aus dem Altertum.” In: Zeitschrift für das Gymnasialwesen, edited by H. Kern and H. J. Müller, no. 38, pp. 689–694, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Digitized.

(1884) Review of Alexander Bain’s “Practical essays” In: Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, edited by Max Roediger, no. 44, pp. 1612–1613, Berlin: Weidmannsche. Digitized.

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Laas, Ernst". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–2. This work in turn cites:
  • Hanisch, Der Positivismus von Ernst Laas (1902)
  • Gjurits, Die Erkenntnistheorie des Ernst Laas (1903)
  • Falckenberg, Hist. of Mod. Philos. (Eng. trans., 1895)