Theodor Lessing

Theodor Lessing (1872–1933) was a German philosopher, writer, and publicist. Born in Hanover to a Jewish physician, he initially studied medicine before turning to philosophy. From 1907/08, he taught philosophy and pedagogy as a Privatdozent at the Technical University of Hanover. He was involved in adult education and founded Hanover’s first adult education center. A prominent political writer of the Weimar Republic, he published, among other works, a psychological portrait of serial killer Fritz Haarmann, as well as “Der jüdische Selbsthaß” and “Die verfluchte Kultur.” After emigrating to Czechoslovakia, Lessing was murdered by National Socialists in Marienbad in 1933.