Jacob Friedrich von Abel


Jacob Friedrich von Abel was a German philosopher. His main interest was the human soul and in trying to find a proof for its immortality.
Born in Vaihingen an der Enz, von Abel studied philology, philosophy and theology in the lower seminaries in Denkendorf and Maulbronn and in the higher seminary in Tübingen. He graduated in 1770 and was appointed professor of philosophy at the Militär-Pflanzschule at the Solitude Palace which moved later to Stuttgart. While there, he was one of Schiller's teachers and a good friend.
In 1790 he was appointed professor of philosophy and headmaster of the Contubernium in Tübingen, in 1792 pedagogue of the Latin Schulen ob der Staig. Notably during this period, he adopted renowned German idealist Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel as his protege, according to Hegel's sister. It is also known that Abel's short book in defence of traditional rational metaphysics against Kant's arguments, was one of the first pieces of literature on Kantianism which Hegel was exposed to. In 1811 Abel became prelate, general superintendent in Oehringen and member of the executive authority of the Evangelic Church in Württemberg. In 1823 von Abel became general superintendent in Urach and Reutlingen, and lived in Stuttgart. He died on a leisure excursion in Schorndorf.
Jacob Friedrich von Abel was also a member of the Illuminatenorden, known as Pythagoras Abderites.

Publications

The latter contains in its second volume a story on which Schiller's Verbrecher aus Infamie, eine wahre Geschichte is based.