Editing Friedrich Eduard Beneke (section)

== Life ==
Beneke was born in [[Berlin]]. He studied at the universities of [[University of Halle-Wittenberg|Halle]] and [[Humboldt University of Berlin|Berlin]], and served as a volunteer in the [[Hundred Days|War of 1815]].  After studying [[theology]] under [[Friedrich Schleiermacher|Schleiermacher]] and [[Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette|de Wette]], he turned to pure [[philosophy]], studying [[England|English]] writers and the German modifiers of [[Kantianism]], such as [[Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi|Jacobi]], [[Jakob Friedrich Fries|Fries]] and [[Arthur Schopenhauer|Schopenhauer]]. In 1820, he published ''Erkenntnisslehre'', ''Erfahrungsseelenlehre als Grundlage alles Wissens'', and his inaugural dissertation ''De Veris Philosophiae Initiis''. His marked opposition to the philosophy of [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Hegel]], then dominant in Berlin, was shown more clearly in the short tract, ''Neue Grundlegung zur Metaphysik'' (1822), intended to be the programme for his lectures as ''Privatdozent'', and in the able treatise, ''Grundlegung zur Physik der Sitten'' (1822), written, in direct antagonism to [[Immanuel Kant|Kant]]'s ''[[Metaphysics of Morals]]'', to deduce ethical principles from a basis of empirical feeling. In 1822 his lectures were prohibited in Berlin, because of the influence of Hegel with the [[Prussia]]n authorities, who also prevented him from obtaining a chair from the [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxon]] government. He retired to [[university of Göttingen|Göttingen]], lectured there for several years, and was then allowed to return to Berlin. In 1832 he received an appointment as ''professor extraordinarius'' at the university, which he continued to hold till his death. On 1 March 1854 he disappeared, and more than two years later his remains were found in the canal near [[Charlottenburg]]. There was some suspicion that he had committed suicide in a fit of mental depression.<ref name=EB1911/>