author
Theodor Lipps
1851–1914
A major figure in German philosophy and psychology, remembered especially for helping shape the modern idea of empathy through his work on aesthetics. His writing also explored perception, illusion, humor, and the inner life of the mind.
2 Audiobooks
Komik und Humor: Eine Psychologische-Ästhetische Untersuchung
by Theodor Lipps
Der Streit über die Tragödie
by Theodor Lipps
About the author
Born in Wallhalben, Bavaria, on July 28, 1851, Theodor Lipps became one of the notable German thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He studied at several universities, earned a doctorate in philosophy, and later taught at Bonn, Breslau, and Munich.
Lipps is best known for his work in aesthetics and for developing the framework behind Einfühlung—the idea that we project ourselves into what we perceive, a concept closely tied to what later became known as empathy. Alongside philosophy, he wrote widely on psychology, including perception, optical illusions, suggestion, self-awareness, will, and humor.
He died in Munich on October 17, 1914. Though he is not always as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, his ideas helped shape later discussions of art, feeling, and how people understand both objects and one another.