August 27

Johann Georg Hamann (1730–1788) was a German philosopher and author whose work challenged the rationalism of the Enlightenment. Largely self-taught, he promoted the importance of faith, tradition, and the irrational in human experience. His essays and letters influenced later figures in the Sturm und Drang movement and German Romanticism. Known as the “Magus of the North,” Hamann’s style was rhetorical and often paradoxical. His ideas paved the way for thinkers such as Kierkegaard and Heidegger, making him a key proponent of existential critique.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) was a German philosopher and central figure in German Idealism. He studied at the University of Tübingen and later held professorships at Jena, Heidelberg, and Berlin. Hegel’s major works include the Phenomenology of Spirit, Science of Logic, and Elements of the Philosophy of Right. He introduced the dialectical method, viewing history and reality as a process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. His system influenced subsequent philosophical and political movements, including Marxism, existentialism, and critical theory. Hegel’s ideas continue to be studied for their depth and complexity.

Giuseppe Peano defined the axioms that underpin the natural numbers and formal arithmetic. His work in symbolic logic laid groundwork for future developments in mathematical theory and computation. Peano also introduced the space-filling curve that challenged conceptions of dimensionality. He authored the 'Formulario Mathematico,' an influential compendium of mathematical formulas. Peano’s teaching at the University of Turin inspired a generation of European mathematicians.