Philosophical Modernization. Studies in Nordic History of Philosophy 1860-1910

The dissertation comprises of five studies in the history of philosophy with primarily a sociological and history of ideas orientation. All the studies fall within the same timeframe, 1860-1910. Furthermore, they all focus on philosophy in the Nordic countries, and university philosophy in particular. Three of the texts take up the development of the discipline at the universities in Lund and Copenhagen. At the heart of the dissertation is the socially organized intellectual activity which university philosophy comprises of in the Nordic countries in the time period under review. The dissertation comprises of the following sections: "I. The Modern Breakthrough in Nordic University philosophy (1860-1910). A sketch for a comparative study." In this section the concept of philosophical modernization is developed as a lead concept in analyzing the development of philosophy at the Nordic universities during the period in question. "II. Johan Jakob Borelius. The last Swedish Hegelian." This section contains a philosophical profile of Johan Jakob Borelius, professor of theoretical philosophy at Lund University from 1866-1898. "III. The Modern Breakthrough in Danish Philosophy (1865-1890)." This section reconstructs the comparatively rapid process of philosophical modernization at the University of Copenhagen which contained both elements of rupture and continuity. "IV. Philosophy in Lund (1875-1905). Borelius's students." This section is to a great extent a compliment to Section II and focuses on some of Borelius's more notable students (most of whom became readers at the university, and one his successor). "V. Philosophy and Sociology. On the possibility of a sociologically oriented writing of the history of philosophy." This section has a methodological character. All examples are however taken from the time period and the context of the other studies in the dissertation.