The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences (German: Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften) was an academy established in Berlin, Germany on 11 July 1700, four years after the Prussian Academy of Arts, or "Arts Academy," to which "Berlin Academy" may also refer.[1][2][3] In the 18th century, it was a French-language institution since French was the language of science and culture during that era.
Prince-electorFrederick III of Brandenburg, Germany founded the Academy under the name of Kurfürstlich Brandenburgische Societät der Wissenschaften ("Electoral Brandenburg Society of Sciences") upon the advice of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who was appointed president. Unlike other Academies, the Prussian Academy was not directly funded out of the state treasury. Frederick granted it the monopoly on producing and selling calendars in Brandenburg, a suggestion from Leibniz. As Frederick was crowned "King in Prussia" in 1701, creating the Kingdom of Prussia, the Academy was renamed Königlich Preußische Sozietät der Wissenschaften ("Royal Prussian Society of Sciences"). While other Academies focused on a few topics, the Prussian Academy was the first to teach both sciences and humanities. In 1710, the Academy statute was set, dividing the Academy into two sciences and two humanities classes. This was not changed until 1830, when the physics-mathematics and the philosophy-history classes replaced the four old classes.[1][2]
Frederick the Great
The reign of King Frederick II of Prussia ("Frederick the Great") saw major changes to the Academy. In 1744, the Nouvelle Société Littéraire and the Society of Sciences were merged into the Königliche Akademie der Wissenschaften ("Royal Academy of Sciences"). An obligation from the new statute were public calls for ideas on unsolved scientific questions with a monetary reward for solutions. The Academy acquired its own research facilities in the 18th century, including an observatory in 1709; an anatomical theater in 1717; a Collegium medico-chirurgicum in 1723; a botanical garden in 1718; and a laboratory in 1753. However, those were later taken over by the University of Berlin.
As a French-language institution its publications were in French such as the Histoire de l'Académie royale des sciences et belles lettres de Berlin which was published between 1745 and 1796.
A linguistics historian from Princeton University, Hans Aarsleff, notes that before Frederick ascended the throne in 1740, the academy was overshadowed by similar bodies in London and Paris. Frederick made French the official language and speculative philosophy the most important topic of study. The membership was strong in mathematics and philosophy, and included notable philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert, Pierre-Louis de Maupertuis, and Etienne de Condillac. However, the academy was in a crisis for two decades at mid-century, due to scandals and internal rivalries such as the debates between Newtonianism and Leibnizian views, and the personality conflicts between the philosopher Voltaire and the mathematician Maupertuis. At a higher level, Maupertuis, the director from 1746 to 1759 and a monarchist, argued that the action of individuals was shaped by the character of the institution that contained them, and they worked for the glory of the state. By contrast, d'Alembert took a republican rather than monarchical approach and emphasized the international Republic of Letters as the vehicle for scientific advance.[4] By 1789, however, the academy had gained an international repute while making major contributions to German culture and thought. Frederick invited Joseph-Louis Lagrange to succeed Leonhard Euler as director; both were world-class mathematicians. Other intellectuals attracted to the philosopher's kingdom were Francesco Algarotti, Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, and Julien Offray de La Mettrie. Immanuel Kant published religious writings in Berlin which would have been censored elsewhere in Europe.[1][2][5]
19th century
Beginning in 1815, research businesses led by Academy committees (such as the Greek-Roman Archeology Committee or the Oriental Committee) were founded at the Academy. They employed mostly scientists to work alongside the corresponding committee's members. University departments emanated from some of these businesses after 1945.
Under the rule of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, the Academy was subject to the Gleichschaltung, a "Nazification" process that was established to take totalitarian control over various aspects of society. However, compared with other institutions, such as the universities where Jewish employees and members were expelled starting in 1933, Jewish Academy members were not expelled until 1938, following a direct request by the Ministry of Education.[6] The new Academy statute went into effect on 8 June 1939, reorganizing the Academy according to the Nazi leadership principle (the Führerprinzip).
^ abc. Akademienunion.de. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
^"History of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities". Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
^Mary Terrall, "The Culture of Science in Frederick the Great's Berlin," History of Science, Dec 1990, Vol. 28 Issue 4, pp 333–364
^Hans Aarsleff, "The Berlin Academy under Frederick the Great," History of the Human Sciences, May 1989, Vol. 2 Issue 2, pp 193–206
^President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (Pub.) A History of more than 300 Years. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Formerly the Prussian Academy of Sciences. BBAW, Berlin 2009, ISBN978-3-939818-14-4 (English and German), p. 59-69.
^Notzoldt, Peter; Walther, Peter Th. (2004). "The Prussian Academy of Sciences during the Third Reich". Minerva: A Review of Science, Learning and Policy. 42 (4): 421–444. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
^30. November 1753 Ehrenmitglied der Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften. See Werner Hartkopf: Die Berliner Akademie der Wissenschaften: ihre Mitglieder und Preisträger. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1992, ISBN3-05-002153-5, S. 45
^ abcdefghij"Latest intelligence – The Berlin Academy of Sciences". The Times. No. 36094. London. 20 March 1900. p. 6.
Further reading
President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (Pub.) A History of more than 300 Years. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Formerly the Prussian Academy of Sciences. BBAW, Berlin 2009, ISBN978-3-939818-14-4 (English and German)
Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Hrsg.): Vertrieben aus rassistischen Gründen. Ausstellung im Rahmen des Berliner Themenjahres 2013 „Zerstörte Vielfalt. Berlin 1933–1938–1945“, BBAW, Berlin 2013 ISBN978-3-939818-48-9
External links
MacTutor, The Berlin Academy of Science, University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
History of the Academy of the Sciences (in German)
Conference Reports of the Prussian Academy of Sciences (in German) at wikisource
Scholars and Literati at the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences (1700–1800), Repertorium Eruditorum Totius Europae – RETE
January 22, 2023
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The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences German Koniglich Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften was an academy established in Berlin Germany on 11 July 1700 four years after the Prussian Academy of Arts or Arts Academy to which Berlin Academy may also refer 1 2 3 In the 18th century it was a French language institution since French was the language of science and culture during that era Entrance to the former Prussian Academy of Sciences on Unter Den Linden 8 Today it houses the Berlin State Library Contents 1 Origins 2 Frederick the Great 3 19th century 4 20th century 5 Notable members 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksOrigins EditPrince elector Frederick III of Brandenburg Germany founded the Academy under the name of Kurfurstlich Brandenburgische Societat der Wissenschaften Electoral Brandenburg Society of Sciences upon the advice of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz who was appointed president Unlike other Academies the Prussian Academy was not directly funded out of the state treasury Frederick granted it the monopoly on producing and selling calendars in Brandenburg a suggestion from Leibniz As Frederick was crowned King in Prussia in 1701 creating the Kingdom of Prussia the Academy was renamed Koniglich Preussische Sozietat der Wissenschaften Royal Prussian Society of Sciences While other Academies focused on a few topics the Prussian Academy was the first to teach both sciences and humanities In 1710 the Academy statute was set dividing the Academy into two sciences and two humanities classes This was not changed until 1830 when the physics mathematics and the philosophy history classes replaced the four old classes 1 2 Frederick the Great EditThe reign of King Frederick II of Prussia Frederick the Great saw major changes to the Academy In 1744 the Nouvelle Societe Litteraire and the Society of Sciences were merged into the Konigliche Akademie der Wissenschaften Royal Academy of Sciences An obligation from the new statute were public calls for ideas on unsolved scientific questions with a monetary reward for solutions The Academy acquired its own research facilities in the 18th century including an observatory in 1709 an anatomical theater in 1717 a Collegium medico chirurgicum in 1723 a botanical garden in 1718 and a laboratory in 1753 However those were later taken over by the University of Berlin As a French language institution its publications were in French such as the Histoire de l Academie royale des sciences et belles lettres de Berlin which was published between 1745 and 1796 A linguistics historian from Princeton University Hans Aarsleff notes that before Frederick ascended the throne in 1740 the academy was overshadowed by similar bodies in London and Paris Frederick made French the official language and speculative philosophy the most important topic of study The membership was strong in mathematics and philosophy and included notable philosophers such as Immanuel Kant Jean Baptiste le Rond d Alembert Pierre Louis de Maupertuis and Etienne de Condillac However the academy was in a crisis for two decades at mid century due to scandals and internal rivalries such as the debates between Newtonianism and Leibnizian views and the personality conflicts between the philosopher Voltaire and the mathematician Maupertuis At a higher level Maupertuis the director from 1746 to 1759 and a monarchist argued that the action of individuals was shaped by the character of the institution that contained them and they worked for the glory of the state By contrast d Alembert took a republican rather than monarchical approach and emphasized the international Republic of Letters as the vehicle for scientific advance 4 By 1789 however the academy had gained an international repute while making major contributions to German culture and thought Frederick invited Joseph Louis Lagrange to succeed Leonhard Euler as director both were world class mathematicians Other intellectuals attracted to the philosopher s kingdom were Francesco Algarotti Jean Baptiste de Boyer and Julien Offray de La Mettrie Immanuel Kant published religious writings in Berlin which would have been censored elsewhere in Europe 1 2 5 19th century EditBeginning in 1815 research businesses led by Academy committees such as the Greek Roman Archeology Committee or the Oriental Committee were founded at the Academy They employed mostly scientists to work alongside the corresponding committee s members University departments emanated from some of these businesses after 1945 20th century EditOn 25 November 1915 Albert Einstein presented his field equations of general relativity to the Academy Under the rule of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 the Academy was subject to the Gleichschaltung a Nazification process that was established to take totalitarian control over various aspects of society However compared with other institutions such as the universities where Jewish employees and members were expelled starting in 1933 Jewish Academy members were not expelled until 1938 following a direct request by the Ministry of Education 6 The new Academy statute went into effect on 8 June 1939 reorganizing the Academy according to the Nazi leadership principle the Fuhrerprinzip Following World War II the Soviet Military Administration in Germany or SMAD reorganized the Academy under the name of Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin English German Academy of Sciences at Berlin on 1 July 1946 In 1972 it was renamed Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR or AdW English Academy of Sciences of the GDR At its height the AdW had 400 researchers and 24 000 employees in locations across East Germany Following German Reunification the Academy was disbanded and the Berlin Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities was founded in its place in compliance with a 1992 treaty between the State Parliaments of Berlin and Brandenburg Sixty of the AdW members broke off and created the private Leibniz Society in 1993 7 Notable members EditChristoph Ludwig von Stille 1696 1752 curator Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz founding president 1700 Jacob Paul von Gundling Dimitrie Cantemir foreign member 1714 Gassen von Stein Vice President Doctor and member 1732 Leonhard Euler 1741 1766 Montesquieu foreign member 1746 Voltaire c 1750 Denis Diderot foreign member 1751 Asmus Ehrenreich von Bredow Lieutenant General 30 November 1753 8 Johann Heinrich Lambert c 1763 Joseph Louis Lagrange 1766 1786 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing foreign member 1769 Immanuel Kant foreign member 1786 Heinrich Friedrich von Diez honorary member 1814 Friedrich Schleiermacher proper member 1810 Hermann von Helmholtz corresponding member 1857 foreign member 1870 proper member 1871 Ferdinand Georg Frobenius proper member 1893 Max Planck proper member 1894 William Thomson 1st Baron Kelvin foreign member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Friedrich Max Muller foreign member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Josiah Willard Gibbs corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Henry Augustus Rowland corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Sir John Burdon Sanderson corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 William James corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Sir John Pentland Mahaffy corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Alexander Stuart Murray corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Francis Llewellyn Griffith corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Frederic William Maitland corresponding member 1900 bi centenary of the academy 9 Philipp Lenard proper member 1905 Fritz Haber Albert Einstein proper member 1914 Kurt Sethe corresponding member 1920 proper member 1930 Hermann Grapow proper member 1938References Edit a b c The Berlin Academy of Science MacTutor History of Mathematics archive August 2004 Retrieved 14 June 2013 a b c Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Akademienunion de Archived from the original on 27 June 2013 Retrieved 14 June 2013 History of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Berlin Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften Retrieved 14 June 2013 Mary Terrall The Culture of Science in Frederick the Great s Berlin History of Science Dec 1990 Vol 28 Issue 4 pp 333 364 Hans Aarsleff The Berlin Academy under Frederick the Great History of the Human Sciences May 1989 Vol 2 Issue 2 pp 193 206 President of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Pub A History of more than 300 Years Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Formerly the Prussian Academy of Sciences BBAW Berlin 2009 ISBN 978 3 939818 14 4 English and German p 59 69 Notzoldt Peter Walther Peter Th 2004 The Prussian Academy of Sciences during the Third Reich Minerva A Review of Science Learning and Policy 42 4 421 444 Retrieved 14 June 2013 30 November 1753 Ehrenmitglied der Koniglich Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften See Werner Hartkopf Die Berliner Akademie der Wissenschaften ihre Mitglieder und Preistrager Akademie Verlag Berlin 1992 ISBN 3 05 002153 5 S 45 a b c d e f g h i j Latest intelligence The Berlin Academy of Sciences The Times No 36094 London 20 March 1900 p 6 Further reading EditPresident of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Pub A History of more than 300 Years Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Formerly the Prussian Academy of Sciences BBAW Berlin 2009 ISBN 978 3 939818 14 4 English and German Berlin Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften Hrsg Vertrieben aus rassistischen Grunden Ausstellung im Rahmen des Berliner Themenjahres 2013 Zerstorte Vielfalt Berlin 1933 1938 1945 BBAW Berlin 2013 ISBN 978 3 939818 48 9External links EditMacTutor The Berlin Academy of Science University of St Andrews Scotland History of the Academy of the Sciences in German Conference Reports of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in German at wikisource Scholars and Literati at the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences 1700 1800 Repertorium Eruditorum Totius Europae RETE Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Prussian Academy of Sciences amp oldid 1127659674, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
