Roman Ingarden
Roman Witold Ingarden was a notable Polish philosopher, born in Kraków in February 1893. He initially pursued studies in philosophy at Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów but shifted to psychology in Gottingen, where he was significantly influenced by the philosopher Edmund Husserl. Ingarden's academic journey led him to earn a doctorate from Freiburg in 1918, after which he returned to Poland and began his teaching career at Jan Kazimierz University. He authored several philosophical works and maintained an active presence in academia until the challenges of World War II disrupted his career. Ingarden faced numerous difficulties during the war, including temporary displacement and the need to conduct secret lectures under German occupation. Following the war, he resumed his academic work at Jagiellonian University and later at the University of Warsaw, where he held a prominent position until his retirement in 1963. Throughout his life, Ingarden contributed significantly to philosophy until his untimely death in 1970 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. His legacy continues to influence contemporary philosophical discourse.
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Subject Terms
Roman Ingarden
Nonfiction Writer, Social Criticism, Philosophy Writer
- Born: February 5, 1893
- Birthplace: Kraków, Poland
- Died: 1970
- Place of death: Kraków, Poland
Biography
Roman Witold Ingarden was born in Kraków, Poland, in February of 1893, during Austria’s last occupation of Southern Poland. His father, also named Roman, was an engineer, and his mother, Witoslawa, was a teacher. He was baptized and raised Catholic. Ingarden attended secondary school from 1903 to 1911 in Lwów. In 1911, he began studying philosophy at Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów, but he only stayed there one semester. In 1912, he went to Gottingen to study psychology. Here he attended a lecture course taught by Edmund Husserl, and his influence, combined with Ingarden’s dissatisfaction with the school’s psychology department, convinced Ingarden to turn the focus of his studies back towards philosophy. During this time, Ingarden became fascinated with Husserl’s philosophical ideas. Ingarden even went so far as to follow Husserl to Freiburg after Husserl accepted a job teaching there. Ingarden received his doctorate from Freiburg in 1918, and his dissertation was published in 1921.
Ingarden moved back to Lubin, Poland, in 1918, where he wrote several books. In 1919, he married Maria Pol, a school doctor. In the next four years, Ingarden continued to write, and he and Maria had three children. He began teaching at the philosophy department at Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów in 1925. In 1933, his duties included research, lectures, and teaching classes in philosophy as needed by the faculty. He held this position until 1939. In 1940, the Russian government nominated Ingarden as professor in the department of German philology at Francki University. He lectured there until 1941, when the university closed due to German occupation. He found a new job in 1942, teaching at the Chemical School in Lwów, often holding secret lectures at the university. In 1944, Ingarden’s house was bombed, forcing him to leave Lwów. In 1946, he received a job at Jagiellonian University, as a professor.
In 1949, Ingarden was denounced by the Communist party, and if it hadn’t been for his reputation at the school, he would have surely been a victim of Stalin. However, the university bureaucratically shuffled him around, and officially transferred him to the University of Warsaw, even though he remained in Kraków. In 1950, the philosophy departments had been replaced by the Department of the Basis of Marxism, and the university, not knowing what to do with Ingarden, appointed him editor of the library of philosophy in Warsaw.
In 1957, the philosophy department was reestablished, with Ingarden as appointed chair. He retired in 1963. For the next seven years, Ingarden wrote books, essays, and papers. He died suddenly of cerebral hemorrhage in 1970.