The Tetens Project
The Tetens Project aims to publish in print form a six-volume translated edition of the philosophical works, broadly construed, of Johann Nicolaus Tetens (1736-1807), accompanied by a parallel online German edition of the same works. The next phase of the project will see the translation, editing and annotating of the second volume containing the first half of Tetens’s magnum opus, Philosophical Essays on Human Nature and Its Development (1777). At the same time, we hope to complete the online German edition of this volume and begin transcription and editing of the manuscript that will later form the basis for the final, sixth volume of the translated edition. Eventually, we will release a complete, online German edition of Tetens’s philosophical writings.
Editorial Team: Courtney D. Fugate (Florida State University), Scott Stapleford (St. Thomas University), John Hymers (La Salle University), Brian Chance (OSU, OSSM)
Tetens's Philosophical Writings, Vol. 1
“With this fine collection of Tetens’ essays and occasonal pieces – expertly translated and meticulously annotated by Fugate, Sommerlatte, and Stapleford – Enlgish readers can see for the first time how thoroughly the ambition to offer his own ‘grand synthesis animates Tetens’ thought, and can explore for themselves the profound affinitites that obtain throuhgout the works of Tetens and Kant.”
Corey W. Dyck, Professor of Philosophy, Western University, Canada
Containing all of the key writings leading up to the publication of his Philosophical Essays in 1777, this volume presents complete works by Johann Nicolaus Tetens (1736-1807) in English for the very first time. These important essays focus on method in metaphysics and mathematics, the analysis of language, and various anthropological questions that occupied thinkers of the period. Key features of the volume include:
· Accurate, readable translations
· Detailed scholarly notes
· A substantial introduction situating Tetens’s works in historical context
· A German-English glossary
Table of Contents
Abbreviations
Part 1. Introduction to the Translation
Courtney D. Fugate, in collaboration with Curtis Sommerlatte
Introduction
Johann Nicolaus Tetens (1736–1807): An Historical Sketch
Tetens and Kant
Resumé of the Works
Vocabulary and Style
Part 2. The Translations
1. Thoughts on the Influence of the Climate on the Manner of Human Thought (1759)
Translated by Courtney D. Fugate
2. Thoughts on Some Reasons Why There are So Few Settled Truths in Metaphysics (1760)
Translated by Scott Stapleford
3. Letter to … on the Question: Whether the Difference in the Cognitive Abilities and Inclinations of Human Beings has its Ground in an Innate Difference, or in External Circumstances (1761)
Translated by Curtis Sommerlatte
4. On the Difference of Human Beings with Respect to their Chief Inclinations (1762–1763)
Translated by Curtis Sommerlatte
5. On the Principles and Benefits of Etymology (1765–1766)
Translated by Courtney D. Fugate
6. On the Various Benefits of the Domains of Human Knowledge (1765)
Translated by Courtney D. Fugate
7. On the Origin of the Desire for Honor (1766)
Translated by Courtney D. Fugate
8. On the Origin of Languages and Writing (1772)
Translated by Courtney D. Fugate
9. On the General Speculative Philosophy (1775)
Translated by Courtney D. Fugate
Part 3. Ancillary Materials
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
