Rudolph Goclenius


Rudolph Goclenius the Elder was a German scholastic philosopher. Gockel is often credited with coining the term "psychology" in 1590, though the term had been used by Marko Marulić at least 66 years earlier. Gockel had extensive backing, and made significant contributions to the field of ontology. He extended the development of many ideas from Aristotle. Several of Gockel's ideas were published and built upon by later philosophers.

Life

He was born in Korbach, Waldeck.
He attended the universities at the University of Erfurt, the University of Marburg and the University of Wittenberg, where he finished his studies with a M.A. in 1571. In the following years he directed the gymnasiums in his hometown Korbach and in Kassel. In 1581, Landgrave Wilhelm IV of Hesse-Kassel, who was a reputed astronomer, refused his wish to return to Korbach, but allowed him to be appointed professor at the Philipps University of Marburg, where he had the chairs of physics, logic, mathematics and ethics. He served as a counsellor to Wilhelm and his son Moritz. The latter sent him in 1618 to the Synod of Dort.
Although he popularized the term "psychology," his major contribution was to the field of ontology. As a follower of Aristotle's work, Gockel gave the philosophy a name and continued in Aristotle's way of thinking. The philosophical discipline of Ontology is thought to have been developed in the 17th century by Goclenius.
Goclenius became the subject of a satirical text by Johann Balthasar Schupp. According to Schupp, Goclenius said in his old age that his Analecta was the best book of all he has ever written.
Goclenius died in Marburg in June 1628.

Family

His oldest son, Rudolph Goclenius the Younger, or Rudolf Goclenius, Jr. was professor in Marburg, and a celebrated mathematician. It is after Rudolph Goclenius, Jr., that the lunar crater is named. He also worked on cures against the plague. He became famous for his miraculous cure with the "weapon salve" or Powder of Sympathy. Other descendants were Theodor Christoph Goclenius, Eduard Franz Goclenius and Reinhard Goclenius.

Philosophical attitude

From his dispute with Wilhelm Adolph Scribonius of Marburg on the legality of the ordeal by water in witch trials, one can deduce that Goclenius was convinced on the existence of witchcraft and adhered to the "Hexenhammer".
His views reflected those of Aristotle. His philosophies belonged to a group called “Semiramists,” which was a group of Aristotelians who believed in advocating dialectic interpretation of Aristotle's learning, but also advocating the exposition of Ramism. While he was still a rector at Korbach Stadtschule Goclenius composed a scholarly poem on Ramus' death. In a letter written by Friedrich Beurhusius to Johann Thomas Freigius in September 1575, Goclenius was mentioned as a devotee to Ramus alongside other schoolmen such as Johann Lambach and Bernhard Copius.
Goclenius is reported to have said that Aristotle, Scaliger, Zabarella, Schegk are all that is needed to fill up the bookstand of philosophers.

Works

He was highly literate and wrote articles on many subjects, not only philosophy but also mathematics, geography, astrology, botanic, zoology, medicine. In his Lexicon philosophicum he used the term ontology coined by Jacob Lorhard in his Ogdooas Scholastica.
Goclenius’ major contributions also included publications which led to the term psychology. In two academic disputations presided by Goclenius at Marburg University in 1586 the word "psychology" appears in its adjectival form. His anthology Psychologia: hoc est, de hominis perfectione, animo, et in primis ortu hujus published in 1590 is the first book to contain the word "psychology" in its title. The Psychologia of 1590 contains mostly excerpts from treatises written between 1579 and 1589. The book's title translates to English as, "Psychology: that is, on the perfection of man, his mind, and especially its origin, the comments and discussions of certain theologians & philosophers of our time who are shown on the turned page." Here, the term psychology refers to both a subject of inquiry and the inquiry itself. In the 17th century, Goclenius' Psychologia was read and quoted by scholars like Robert Burton, Daniel Sennert and Jakob Thomasius. Goclenius himself returned to his Psychologia in a textbook on natural science of 1604 and in some philosophical disputations.
Goclenius' crowning achievement is his original contribution made to term logic, called the Goclenian Sorites. In the words of the British logician Carveth Read:
"It is the shining merit of Goclenius to have restored the Premises of the Sorites to the usual order of Fig. I.: whereby he has raised to himself a monument more durable than brass, and secured indeed the very cheapest immortality. How expensive, compared with this, was the method of the Ephesian incendiary!"

An example for the use of sorites in an argumentative context is presented by Goclenius in his "Dissertatio De Ortu Animi" which concludes the first edition of the Psychologia.

Publications

Bibliographies of Goclenius' writings were prepared by F. W. Strieder and by F. J. Schmidt. His list of publications include a large number of academic disputations. This is due to the statutes of Landgrave Philip I of January 14, 1564 which required professors at the Universiy of Marburg to carry out weekly examinations. Goclenius lectured three hours a day: one pro lectione publica, one pro magistrandis and one pro baccalaureandis.