author
Leo Polak
1880–1941
A Dutch philosopher, legal scholar, and outspoken freethinker, he brought sharp reason and moral seriousness to public life. His story is also a tragic one: after a distinguished academic career, he was murdered in Sachsenhausen during the Second World War.
2 Audiobooks
Oorlogsfilosofie
by Leo Polak
About the author
Born in Steenwijk in 1880, Leo Polak studied law in Amsterdam and went on to build a career that crossed philosophy and jurisprudence. Sources describe him as a rationalist, an agnostic, and an important figure in the Dutch freethought movement.
He later taught at Leiden University and, in 1929, was appointed professor of philosophy at the University of Groningen. His work is often linked with Neo-Kantian thought, and he was known for treating philosophy as a disciplined, rational search for coherence and truth.
Polak's life was cut short by Nazi persecution. He died in Sachsenhausen on December 9, 1941, and he is remembered not only for his scholarship but also for his independence of mind and intellectual courage.