1854 – 1924
Paul Natorp (1854–1924) was a German Neo-Kantian philosopher and a leading figure of the Marburg School, alongside Hermann Cohen. He developed a systematic idealist epistemology grounded in the logical foundations of scientific knowledge, and made significant contributions to philosophy of religion, psychology, and pedagogy within a transcendental framework.
Co-developed the Marburg School's logical idealism, interpreting Kant's philosophy as a theory of scientific knowledge rather than subjective experience
Authored Platos Ideenlehre (1903), a major Neo-Kantian reinterpretation of Platonic Ideas as methodological concepts
Advanced a transcendental approach to psychology in Allgemeine Psychologie (1912), grounding inner experience in logical structure
Contributed to philosophy of religion by arguing for a rational, idealist conception of God compatible with scientific method
Influenced social pedagogy, connecting Neo-Kantian ethics with educational and social reform movements