1696 – 1761
Johann Christian Eschenbach (1696–1761) was a German philosopher associated with early modern immaterialism who played a key role in introducing Berkeleyan idealism to German audiences. He argued that mental substance, both human and divine, offers the most rationally and practically defensible account of reality. His work bridged British empiricist idealism and German rationalist theology.
Translated and disseminated George Berkeley's immaterialist philosophy into German
Compiled 'Sammlung der vornehmsten Schriftsteller' (1756), an anthology of immaterialist and idealist thinkers
Argued for the practical rationality of believing in the mental nature of self and God
Contributed to the German reception of British empiricism within a theistic framework