Talk:The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature

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"Thesis advisor" Bauer: false[edit]

It is simply not at all true that Bauer was Marx's "thesis advisor," whatever that phrase may have been intended to mean. Relying primarily on the first volume of Michael Heinrich's Karl Marx and the Birth of Modern Society (trans 2019), the most detailed account to date of Marx's life and work--but also with reference to Avineri and McLellan--we can definitively and without interpretive ambiguities establish:

First, Marx did not have a thesis advisor at all, since this was not a thing in that time and place (Berlin 1839-40).

Second, Bauer was not teaching in Berlin when Marx was writing his dissertation, but was instead teaching in Bonn. Marx submitted his dissertation to Jena, where it was approved by the philosophy dean Bachmann, with no involvement from Bauer, who was at Bonn.

Third, what probably led to this error is a misunderstanding of the fact that, as Marx's friend and in letters to Berlin from Bonn, Bauer certainly offered various kinds of logistical or career advice to Marx, and repeatedly urged him to finish quickly and join him in Bonn to teach and co-edit a journal. But those letters cannot be characterized as Bauer advising Marx on the contents or form of his dissertation, as suggested by the phrase "thesis advisor." That phrase suggests a professional relationship and a supervisory role that is wildly misleading in this case, as despite their age difference, the two corresponded as equals and affectionate friends, not at all as teacher and student (before their friendship, Marx had attended Bauer's course on Isaiah, but from his entry into the Doctor's Club their friendship was not at all that of student and teacher).

Finally, Bauer (a theologian who had then primarily taught and published on the Old Testament and the Gospels) would in no way have been considered qualified to supervise or advise on a dissertation about Democritus and Epicurus, as there is nothing in his teaching or publication sufficient to support such a qualification. Even concerning elements of the dissertation such as Marx's use of the term "self-consciousness," where there has been speculation concerning Bauer's influence, this influence is far from accepted by any consensus, since both derive their usage of the term from Hegel. 50.220.114.29 (talk) 08:01, 11 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]