Abstract

Although Christian Thomasius' philosophy of love had a profound effect on the German Moral Weeklies of the early 18th century, they do not often mention him specifically. ;Thomasius had scrutinized his own society and realized that prejudice, superstition and unquestioned authority led to much misery. Looking beyond his own society he saw enlightenment in France and hoped to bring Germany to similar glory through proper education whereby Germans would learn to reason correctly, exercise proper aesthetic judgement and behave justly, in short, to love rationally. ;Thomasius, in contrast to the prevailing Christian doctrine with its Semitic and Platonic components, taught a secular philosophy based on natural law. Natural human tendencies, Affekte, such as rational love, vernunftige Liebe, and ambition, one of several kinds of unvernunftige Liebe, work together. When properly balanced they produce love and the consequent felicity, Gluckseligkeit or happiness and serenity on earth. ;The resulting conflict between Thomasius and the Church was perhaps as impressive as the content of either's doctrine. Thomasius was dismissed from the University Faculty at Leipzig, his license to publish in Saxony was revoked, and he fled at peril for his life. He found sanctuary at Halle, but even there his ideas remained controversial. ;Toward the end of his life three periodicals appeared bearing traces of his concept of love in varying degrees. They were Der Patriot, published in Hamburg, Die Discourse der Mahlern, published in Zurich, and Die Vernunftigen Tadlerinnen, published at Halle and later at Leipzig. While these periodicals have traditionally been considered imitations of the English periodicals put out by Addison and Steele, the German Moral Weeklies have indeed qualities which can be more appropriately traced to Thomasius. Thomasian patriotism, the education of women, the elimination of prejudice and superstition, the pursuit of social graces and communication between the sexes and across class barriers surface in varying degrees in the three periodicals