It began with Pestalozzi and Schleiermacher. Reflections on the polymath Hermann Graßmann (1809-1877) (Q988050)

The author presents a portrait of Hermann Graßmann (1809-1877) illustrated by many pictures of Graßmann and his contemporaries as well as locations and documents. The article begins with the story of Graßmann's main mathematical work, the ``Lineale Ausdehnungslehre'' (Extension Theory) which was almost ignored by his colleagues -- with the one exception of Hamilton -- and approved only by a new generation of mathematicians, scientists (Abbe, Hankel, Klein, Gibbs, Clebsch et al.), and philosophers (Natorp, Cassirer, Husserl, Whitehead et al.). Then the author sketches some of Graßmann's biography: his family (his father Justus and his brother Robert), the development of his character, his studies in theology, his profession as a school teacher, and his social and intellectual environment in Stettin. Finally, his contributions within the context of national education -- following the impulses of Schleiermacher, Humboldt, and Pestalozzi -- are sketched. The article closes with an outlook on Graßmann's other scientific work including his philological still benchmarks setting works on Sanskrit and the Rig-Veda. A quite comprehensive list of references is added for further readings.