Johann Georg Heinrich Feder
modernGerman Empiricism1740 – 1821
Johann Georg Heinrich Feder (1740–1821) was a German philosopher and professor at the University of Göttingen, best known as one of Kant's earliest and most prominent critics. A defender of Lockean empiricism and common-sense philosophy in the German tradition, he co-authored the influential Garve-Feder review of the Critique of Pure Reason (1782), which accused Kant of idealism akin to Berkeley's. His work shaped the early reception and critique of Kantian transcendental idealism.
Notable Achievements
1
Co-authored the Garve-Feder review (1782), the first major published critique of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
2
Challenged Kant's doctrine of space and time as pure forms of intuition, arguing for an empiricist alternative
3
Promoted Lockean empiricism and common-sense realism in the German academic context
4
Authored influential textbooks on logic and empirical psychology used widely in German universities
5
Held the chair of philosophy at the University of Göttingen for several decades