Johannes Volkelt
German philosopher (1848–1930)

Johannes Immanuel Volkelt (21 July 1848, Kunzendorf, Galicia – 8 May 1930, Leipzig) was a German neo-Kantian philosopher.
Biography
He was educated at Vienna, Jena, and Leipzig. At Jena, he was a student of Kant scholar Kuno Fischer. At Leipzig, Volkelt's doctoral advisor was Hermann Lotze.
Volkelt became professor of philosophy at Basel in 1883 and at Würzburg in 1889, and 1894 was made professor of philosophy and pedagogy at Leipzig.
Philosophy
In philosophy, his main efforts have been his opposition to positivism and his attempt at a new metaphysical theory. His independent position was arrived at after successive periods in which he followed Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Hartmann.
Alongside Theodor Lipps and Stephan Witasek, he is considered one of the most important representatives of the psychology of aesthetics. He is particularly noted for his investigations of the concept of empathy as a fundamental principle of the theory of art. He proposed that experiencing a work of art with empathy has two variations: "proper empathy" (eigentliche Einfühlung) and "empathy of mood" (Stimmungseinfühlung).
The public source identifies “Johannes Volkelt” as german philosopher (1848–1930). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Johannes, Volkelt and German.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Johannes Volkelt”, the useful work is to connect “german philosopher (1848–1930)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q74318. VIAF identifies the subject as 19835637. The Library of Congress control number is no93033140. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1848, 1930, 1883 and 1889.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Johannes Volkelt”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Johannes Volkelt primary sources, Johannes Volkelt archive and Johannes research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Johannes Volkelt”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Johannes Volkelt” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.