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Friedrich Konrad Eduard Wilhelm Ludwig Klages (; 10 December 1872 – 29 July 1956) was a German philosopher, psychologist, graphologist, poet, writer, and lecturer, who was a two-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature.; : "Ludwig Klages, (born Dec. 10, 1872, Hannover, Ger.—died July 29, 1956, Kilchberg, near Zürich, Switz.), German psychologist and philosopher, distinguished in the field of characterology."; In the Germanosphere, he is considered one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century. He began his career as a research chemist according to his family's wishes, though soon returned to his passions for poetry, philosophy and classical studies. He held a post at the University of Munich, where in 1905 he founded the italics=no; the latter was forced to close in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I.; ; ; : "Educated in chemistry, physics, and philosophy at the University of Munich, where he also taught". In 1915, Klages moved to neutral Switzerland, where over the following decades much of his mature philosophical works were written. Klages died in 1956.
Klages was a central figure of characterology and the Lebensphilosophie school of thought. Prominent elements of his philosophy include: the opposition between life-affirming and life-denying Geist; reality as the ongoing creation and interpretation of sensory images, rather than feelings; a biocentric ethics in response to modern ecological issues and militarism; an affirmation of eroticism in critique of both Christian patriarchy and the notion of the "sexuality"; a theory of psychology focused on expression, including handwriting analysis; and a science of character aimed at reconciling the human ego to the divide it effectuates between living beings.: "His most important work was directed toward the formulation of a science of character that would reestablish the undifferentiated union of the life forms that had been ruptured by the emergence of ego in the human species." Central to Klages's thought is a linguistic opposition to logocentrism, a term introduced by Klages to diagnose a fixation on language or words to the detriment of the things to which they refer.; . His formulation of this concept came to be of significant importance to semiotic studies of Western science and philosophy, namely within deconstruction.; . Klages is similarly seen as a forebear to critical theory,; . deep ecology, and existential phenomenology.
Klages's place in modern psychology has been likened to those of his contemporaries Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.; . His philosophy was roundly attacked by Nazi leaders during the height of his career, though his proximity has since fallen to dispute.; ; . Though little of his literary output has historically been available in English, Klages's thought has exhibited sweeping influence on German developments in psychology, psychiatry, literature, and various other disciplines.
Klages developed an intense childhood friendship with classmate Theodor Lessing, with whom he shared many passionate interests.; . Klages fought to maintain their friendship in spite of his father's antisemitism. According to Lessing, "Ludwig's father did not view his son's fraternization with 'Juden' as acceptable." In 1891, Klages completed his Abitur-level schooling and continued to Leipzig University, where he began his studies in physics and chemistry. His father had instructed him to pursue a career in industrial chemistry. He took two semesters at Leipzig, during 1891–1892, then one semester at the italics=no (now the University of Hannover), during 1892–1893.; .
After graduating, Klages continued his work as a research chemist and began preparing his doctoral thesis under Alfred Einhorn. Klages's writings in both prose and poetry began appearing in Blätter für die Kunst, a journal publication owned by Stefan George, who himself had eagerly recognized Klages's talent. In 1896, Klages, Meyer, and Busse founded a new graphological institution, the italics=no (German Graphological Society). Klages's childhood friendship with Theodor Lessing came to a bitter end in 1899. Both would later write about the depth of their relationship and influence on each other—though many aspects, such as the effect race had on their friendship, remain unclear.
In 1900, Klages received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Munich; since chemistry had seven years earlier moved from the medical faculty, Klages received his qualification as a philosophy doctorate (PhD) rather than a medical doctorate (MD).; ; . Klage published his thesis Attempt at a Synthesis of Menthone in 1901.
Much of Klages's work makes noted use of highly precise philosophical German language as well as occasional esoteric terminology.; .
He created a complete theory of graphology and will be long associated with the concepts of form level, rhythm and bi-polar interpretation. Together with Friedrich Nietzsche and Henri Bergson he anticipated existential phenomenology. He also coined the term logocentrism in the 1920s.
As a philosopher, Klages took the Nietzschean premises of Lebensphilosophie "to their most extreme conclusions." He drew a distinction between life-affirming Seele (soul) and life-destroying Geist (spirit or intellect). Geist represented the forces of "modern, industrial, and intellectual rationalization", while Seele represented the possibility of overcoming "alienated intellectuality in favor of a new-found earthly rootedness." After his death, the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas urged that Klages's developments in the fields of anthropology and philosophy of language should not be left veiled behind his enigmatic metaphysics and apocalyptic philosophy of history. Habermas characterized Klages's thought in this regard as ahead of its time.
Klages influence was widespread and amongst his great admirers were contemporaries like Jewish thinker Walter Benjamin, philosopher Ernst Cassirer, philologist Walter F. Otto and novelist Hermann Hesse. The novelist Robert Musil satirised Klages as the character Meingast in The Man Without Qualities. Although the portrayal is a parody, influences from Klages's theories can be found throughout the novel's treatment of image and eros.
When Klages moved into a new Schwabing flat in 1895, he entered into an intense sexual relationship with his landlady's daughter, with the mother's approval; the daughter, whom Klages called 'Putti', was 12 years old,; . and their relationship continued for almost two decades. During his years in Schwabing, Klages also became romantically involved with novelist Franziska zu Reventlow, which was further alluded to in her 1913 roman à clef Herrn Dames Aufzeichnungen.; . Both Stefan George and Alfred Schuler, with whom Klages closely associated, were openly homosexual men. Whilst some of Klages's outward statements on homosexuality may be seen as harsh, he maintained an intimate personal and academic admiration for Schuler all throughout his life.; .
Klages has largely been identified as apolitical, with resemblances to deep ecology in his bioethical stance, feminism in his rejection of Christian patriarchy, and pacifism in his staunch anti-war position on German involvement in World Wars I and II.; . Despite his opposition to fascist militarism, among the most common charges against Klages is the misconception that he sympathised with Nazism. Attempts have been made to dismiss Klages on these grounds for his inclusion of antisemitic remarks, while under the rule of the Third Reich, in the foreword to a 1940 publication of the late Alfred Schuler's Nachlass. Klages is also sometimes placed among thinkers of the Conservative Revolution. Klages was however, as Bishop states, "not a fundamentally anti-semitic thinker, not a right-wing philosopher, and not a Nazi." Earlier publishings by scholars Lebovic, Stauth, and Turner regard Klages as antisemitic.; . Likewise, historian Josephson-Storm states "As an American Jew who lost extended family in the Shoah, I personally find this the most disgusting and odious part of Klages's oeuvre." Bishop further states that such views on Klages can be traced back to polemical interpretations forwarded by Jewish thinkers Ernst Bloch and Georg Lukács, and later embraced by the European New Right. Addressing the issue of antisemitism, Klages wrote:
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