1855年,18岁的时候,他作为海军中尉参加了克里米亚战争,并且两次获颁奖章(分别由 St. Andrew 和St. George 授予)。他驻守在马拉可夫(Malakoff)的第四堡垒,即塞瓦斯托波尔围城战中托尔斯泰所驻之堡垒。1852年,他的父亲去世后,他继承了父亲的财产(他仅存的另一位兄弟,诗人Aristarch,已经在1841年去世了),接着他解放了自己的农奴,并把土地,物资和钱财也散给了他们,这一举动,或许是对1861年农奴制改革的预见。在1862年,他离开伊莉沙维特格勒,前往德国旅行,他在那里呆了两年时间,以期“对人类心灵有更好的认识”[10]1864年,他的姐姐Charitis在他离开俄国不久之后去世。1867年,他的母亲也离开了人世,他于是以“低得可笑”的价钱卖掉了自己的财产,又散尽财富,然后永远地离开了故乡。[11]
他一开始去了莱比锡,听了Moritz Wilhelm Drobisch (1802–1896,一位赫尔巴特派哲学家)的讲座。当时,还是学生的尼采恰好也在那里,不过并没有迹象表明他们见了面。1869年他去了图宾根,1871年去了斯图加特。1872年1月30日,在该市的一座东正教堂[12] 里,他与Elisabeth (Elise) Gatternich[13] 结婚,接着夫妇二人有了一个女儿,Hélène.[14] 在莱比锡,他和出版商兼共济会员Joseph Gabriel Findel交好,后者出版了Spir绝大多数的作品。他最重要的著作,《思想与实在:初探批判哲学之革新》(Thought and Reality: Attempt at a Renewal of Critical Philosophy)也于1873年初版。它的第二版,也就是尼采手头的版本,则面市于1877年。为了扩大读者群,他又直接以法语写作了《批判哲学大纲》 (Esquisses de philosophie critique),这本著作出版于1877年。[15] 它的第二版则要等到他死后四十年,即1930年才予付印,且由巴黎大学索邦神学院的莱昂·不伦瑞克教授作序。
1878年起,为了治疗肺炎导致的慢性咳嗽,他搬到瑞士的洛桑居住五年。1884年,他向俄国皇帝请求准许他脱离俄国国籍,归化为瑞士公民;同年他得到了皇帝的准许,开始着手申请在洛桑上贝尔蒙地区——即他与家人居住之地——的注册许可证。[16] 在1886年,为了享用更优秀的图书资源(即所谓Société de Lecture,一个私人读书社群)[17],他又搬去了日内瓦。[18] 自1889年9月17日起,他正式获得瑞士联邦政府承认,与其妻子、女儿一道成为了瑞士公民。[19] 他于1890年3月26日在日内瓦的6 rue Petitot过世,死因是流行性感冒。此前他靠妻子和女儿养活。[20]
他的手稿、个人文件、照片和书籍在1940年被其女儿捐给了日内瓦图书馆(Bibliothèque de Genève, formerly Bibliothèque Publique et Universitaire de Genève),它们组成了一套 "African Spir全集",可供查阅。
有关他和家人的其他文章也可以在Harvard University Library 查阅到。
认识论
基于他的个人阅读和参加Drobitsch讲座之举, Spir应当是一位新康德主义哲学家。他把自己的哲学称为“批判哲学”。他追寻着一条把哲学建设为“第一原则的科学”之道路,认为哲学的使命是调查直觉知识,揭露经验主义的妄想,以及通过对事实的严格陈述和逻辑严密的推理来展现事物的真正本质。这一方法使得他推崇同一律(即law of identity, A ≡ A) 为认知的基本规律,与经验世界的纷繁表象相对。
1866. Die Wahrheit, Leipzig, J.G. Findel (under the pseudonym of “Prais”, anagram of: A. Spir, 2nd ed. under the name of A. Spir 1867, Leipzig, Förster und Findel).
1868. Andeutung zu einem widerspruchlosen Denken, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1869. Erörterung einer philosophischen Grundeinsicht, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1869. Forschung nach der Gewissheit in der Erkenntniss der Wirklichkeit, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1869. Kurze Darstellung der Grundzüge einer philosophischen Anschauungsweise, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1869. Vorschlag an die Freunde einer vernünftigen Lebensführung, Leipzig, J.G. Findel (French translation by Hélène Claparède-Spir: Projet d'un coenobium laïque, Ed. of Coenobium, Lugano, 1907).
1870. Kleine Schriften, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1873. Denken und Wirklichkeit: Versuch einer Erneuerung der kritischen Philosophie, 1st ed. Leipzig, J. G. Findel.
1874. Moralität und Religion, 1st ed. Leipzig, J.G. Findel. (Italian translation by Odoardo Campa: Religione, Lanciano, Carabba, 1911, reprint 2008).
1876. Empirie und Philosophie: vier Abhandlungen, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1876. "Zu der Frage der ersten Principien", in: Philosophische Monatshefte, XII, p. 49–55.
1877. Denken und Wirklichkeit: Versuch einer Erneuerung der kritischen Philosophie, 2d ed. Leipzig, J. G. Findel. (French translation from the 3rd ed. by A. Penjon: Pensée et réalité: essai d'une réforme de la philosophie critique, Lille, Au siège des Facultés – Paris, Alcan, 1896).
1877. Sinn und Folgen der modernen Geistesströmung, 1st ed. Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1878. Moralität und religion, 2d ed. Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1878. Sinn und Folgen der modernen Geistesströmung, 2d ed. Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1879. Recht und Unrecht: Eine Erörterung der Principien, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.(2nd ed., 1883, Italian translation by Cesare Goretti: La Giustizia, Milano, Lombarda, 1930; French translation: Principes de justice sociale, Genève: Éditions du Mon-Blanc (Hélène Claparède-Spir ed., Préf. de Georges Duhamel); English translation by Alexander Frederick Falconer: Right and Wrong, Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1954).
1879. Ueber Idealismus und Pessimismus, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1879. "Ob eine vierte Dimension des Raums denkbar ist?", in: Philosophische Monatshefte, XV, p. 350–352.
1880. Vier Grundfragen, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1883. Studien, Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1883. Über Religion: Ein Gespräch, 1st ed. Leipzig, J.G. Findel. (Italian translation by O. Campa, Ed. of Coenobium, Lugano, 1910.
1883–85. Gesammelte Schriften Leipzig:, J.G. Findel, (republished in 1896 by Paul Neff, Stuttgart).
1885. Philosophische Essays,Leipzig:, J.G. Findel, (republished in 1896 by Paul Neff, Stuttgart).
1887. Esquisses de philosophie critique, Paris, Ancienne librairie Germer-Baillière et Cie, F. Alcan éditeur. (Russian translation by N. A. Bracker, Moscow, 1901; Italian translation by O. Campa, with an introduction by P. Martinetti, Milan, 1913).
1890. Deux questions vitales: De la Connaissance du bien et du mal; De l'immortalité, Genève, Stapelmohr (published anonymously).
1895. "Wie gelangen wir zur Freiheit und Harmonie des Denkens", in: Archiv für systematische Philosophie, Bd. I, Heft 4, p. 457–473.
1897. Über Religion: Ein Gespräch, 2d ed. Leipzig, J.G. Findel.
1899. Nouvelles esquisses de philosophie critique (études posthumes), Paris, Librairie Félix Alcan, (Spanish translation by R. Urbano, Madrid, 1904).
1908–1909. Gesammelte Werke, Leipzig, J.A. Barth (Hélène Claparède-Spir ed.).
1930. Esquisses de philosophie critique, Paris, Libraire Félix Alcan (Nouvelle éd. avec une introduction par Léon Brunschvicg, Membre de l'Institut)
1930. Propos sur la guerre, Paris, Editions Truchy-Leroy (Hélène Claparède-Spir ed.).
1937. Paroles d'un sage, Paris-Genève, Je Sers-Labor (Choix de pensées d'African Spir avec une esquisse biografique, Hélène Claparède-Spir ed., 2d ed. Paris, Alcan, 1938).
1948. Lettres inédites de African Spir au professeur Penjon, Neuchâtel, Éditions du Griffon (Introd. d'Emile Bréhier).
Gerardus Heymans is quoted as saying that Spir "exercised a real influence on the elaboration of his thought." Lettres inédites de African Spir au professeur Penjon (Unpublished Letters of African Spir to professor Penjon), Neuchâtel, 1948, p. 231, n. 7.
Spir died at 9 PM, Fabrizio Frigerio, Catalogue raisonné du fonds African Spir (Analytical Catalogue of Afrikan Spir's Corpus) p. 6, n. 28. Death certificate of African Spir, 26 March 1890 (Vol. 1890, n. 139).
Rüdiger Safranski, Nietzsche: A Philosophical Biography (trans. Shelley Frisch), W. W. Norton & Company, 2003, p. 161: "This work [Thought and Reality] had long been consigned to oblivion, but it had a lasting impact on Nietzsche. Section 18 of Human, All Too Human cited Spir, not by name, but by presenting a "proposition by an outstanding logician" (2,38; HH I §18).
For Nietzsche's annotations in his copy of African's Spir Thought and Reality, as well as Hélène's Claparède-Spir comments on these annotations in a letter in German to Hans Vaihinger (dated Geneva, March, 11th, 1930), cf. Fabrizio Frigerio, op. cit., p. 15, n. 29 c., Ms. l.e. 253.
Ibid., p. 4, 2, n.2. Birth Certificate of African Spir (in Russian) and n.3. German translation of the Birth Certificate and the Certificate of Baptism of African Spir.
According to the Russian Law about the Nobility, people who were awarded with the St. Vladimir Order (each class) had had the rights of hereditary nobility until the Emperor's Decree of 1900 was issued. After this only three first classes of the Order gave such a right.
Or to abridge it, if it was absolutely necessary to maintain it, like in his engagement-card: "A. v. Spir-Elise Gatternicht Verlobte Odessa December 1871 Stuttgart", cf.Ibid., p. 4, Personal papers of African Spir, Ms. fr. 1406, 2, no.7.
"two philosophers, Stuart Mill and David Hume, that he appreciated very particularly, and who always stayed his preferred authors, “because, he said, of their clarity et of their perfect sincerity.” Hélène Claparède-Spir, Paroles d'un sage : choix de pensées d’African Spir, (Words of a wise man: choice of Spir's words) Paris-Genève, Je Sers-Labor, 1937, p.24.
Elise Sophie Adelaïde Gatternicht, born on 4 June 1850 in Stuttgart, daughter of Johann Adam Gatternicht and Jeanne Catherine, born Heuss (Excerpt of Certificate of Birth, Stuttgart, 19 July 1883), Fabrizio Frigerio, op. cit., p. 4, Personal Papers of African Spir, Ms. fr. 1406, 5, nos. 8 and 9.
Hélène-Catherine-Augusta Spir (Stuttgart, 14.2.1873 – Geneva, 12.11.1955), who will marry the Swiss neurologist and psychologist Edouard Claparède (Geneva, 24.3.1873 – Geneva, 29.9.1940) and became Hélène Claparède-Spir (or Elena Afrikanovna Klapared-Spir, in russian: Елона Африкановна Клапаред-Спир (Шпир).
"The author of the present Outlines who, without being himself a German, has published many books in German, will submit his philosophy to the scrutiny of the French Public.", Fabrizio Frigerio, op. cit., p. 9, no. 14, Ms. fr. 1410.
Due to his chronic cough, it was not possible for Spir to read books in a public library; as a member of the "Société de Lecture" it was possible for him to take at home the books that he wanted to read.
Establishment's Setting n. 18529, delivered 19 June 1886, to Mr. African De Spir, without profession, born 10 November 1837, from Russia, married to Miss Eisabeth De Gatternicht, Fabrizio Frigerio, op. cit., p. 5 , no. 24.
Hélène-Claparède Spir, "Un précurseur: A. Spir", in: African Spir, Principes de justice sociale, précédés de "Un précurseur", avec une préface de Georges Duhamel, Genève, 1945, p. 19.
"I was 21 years old when in 1873 was published this important book (Thought and Reality by A. Spir), which I started immediately to study diligently. The book produced immediately a great impression." 8 March 1930, in a memory on an article of the Nouvelles littéraires (Literary News) on Nietzsche and Spir.
Published in: Hélène Claparède-Spir, Evocation: Tolstoi, Nietzsche, Rilke, Spir, Genève, Georg, 1944; the original letter can be consulted at the Bibliothèque de Genève, cf. Fabrizio Frigerio, op. cit., p.17, n. 2. Manuscript letter (in French) to Hélène Claparède-Spir in Stuttgart, 1/13 May 1896.
Africano Spir, Religione, Traduzione dal tedesco con prefazione e una bibliografia di Od. Campa, Lanciano, Carabba editore, 2008 (Ristampa anastatica della edizione originale).
Selected works on Spir
Charles Baudouin, "Le philosophe African Spir (1837–1890). A l'occasion de son centenaire", in: Action et Pensée, 1938, juin, p. 65–75.
Léon Brunschvicg, "La philosophie religieuse de Spir" in: Comptes rendus du II ème Congrès international de philosophie, Geneva, 1904, p. 329–334.
Hélène Claparède-Spir, Evocation. Tolstoï - Nietziche - Rilke - Spir. Georg et Cie. Libraires de l'Universitié, Genevé. 1944.
Hélène Claparède-Spir, Un précurseur: A. Spir, Lausanne-Genève, Payot & Cie, 1920.
Hélène Claparède-Spir, "Vie de A. Spir" in African Spir, Nouvelles esquisses de philosophie critique, Paris, Félix Alcan, 1899.
Augusto Del Noce, Filosofi dell'esistenza e della libertà, Spir, Chestov, Lequier, Renouvier, Benda, Weil, Vidari, Faggi, Martinetti, Rensi, Juvalta, Mazzantini, Castelli, Capograsssi, a cura di Francesco Mercadante e Bernardino Casadei, Milano, Giuffrè, 1992.
Fabrizio Frigerio, Catalogue raisonné du fonds African Spir, Genève, Bibliothèque Publique et Universitaire de Genève, 1990.
Fabrizio Frigerio, "Un philosophe russe à Genève: African Spir (1837–1890)", in: Musées de Genève, 1990, 307, p. 3–7.
Fabrizio Frigerio, "Spir, Afrikan Alexandrowitsch", in: Schweizer Lexikon, Mengis & Ziehr Ed., Luzern, 1991–1993, t. VI, p. 31.
Alfred Haag, Der Substanzbegriff und eine erkentniss-theoretischen Grundlagen in der Philosophie des Afrikan Spir, 1837–1890. Historisch-kritischer Beitrag zu neueren Philosophie, Würzburg, 1923-224. Haag's dissertation at Würzburg.
Gabriel Huan, Essai sur le dualisme de Spir, Paris, Librairie Félix Alcan, 1914. Huan's dissertation at Paris.
Humanus, (pseud. of Ernst Eberhardt), African Spir: ein Philosoph der Neuzeit, Leipzig, J.G.Findel, 1892 (New ed. 2009).
Piero Martinetti, La libertà, Milan, Lombarda, 1928, Spir: pp. 282–289 (new ed. Torino, Aragno 2004, Spir: p. 248–254).
Piero Martinetti, Il pensiero di Africano Spir, Torino, Albert Meynier, 1990. Published and with an introduction by Franco Alessio. Review by Fabrizio Figerio in: Revue de Théologie et de Philosophie, Lausanne, 1993, 125, p. 400.
Auguste Penjon, "Spir et sa doctrine", Revue de métaphysique et de morale, 1893, p. 216–248.
Rivista di filosofia, 1937, a. XXVIII, n. 3, Africano Spir nel primo centenario della nascita: *** "Africano Spir (1837–1890)"; E. Carando "La religione in Africano Spir", A. Del Noce " Osservazioni sul realismo e l'idealismo in A.Spir"; *** "Il dolore nel pesssimismo di A. Spir"; P. Martinetti "Il dualismo di A.Spir"; A. Poggi "Luci ed ombre nella morale di Africano Spir"; G. Solari "Diritto e metafisica nella morale di Africano Spir".
Joseph Segond, "L'idéalisme des valeurs et la doctrine de Spir" in: Revue philosophique de la France et de l'étranger, 1912, 8, p. 113–139.
Samuel Spitzer, Darstellung und Kritik der Moralphilosophie Spir's, Raab, 1896. Spitzer's dissertation at Würzburg.
Andreas Zacharoff, Spirs theoretische Philosophie dargestellt und erläutert, Weida i. Th., Thomas & Hubert, 1910. Zacharoff's dissertation at Jena.
Mary-Barbara Zedlin, "Afrikan Alexandrovich Spir", in: Paul Edwards ed., Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 544, New York, Macmillan, 1972.
Selected works on Nietzsche's relationship to Spir
Peter Bornedal, The Surface and the Abyss, Nietzsche as Philosopher of Mind and Knowledge, Berlin – New-York, 2010.
Hélène Claparède-Spir, "Friedrich Nietzsche und Afrikan Spir", Philosophie und Leben, 1930, 6, p. 242–250.
Maudemarie Clark & David Dudrick, "Nietzsche's Post-Positivism", European Journal of Philosophy, 2004, 12, p. 369–385.
Karl-Heinz Dickopp, "Zum Wandel von Nietzsches Seinsverständnis: Afrikan Spir und Gustav Teichmüller", Zeitschrift für philosophische Forschung, 1970, 24, p. 50–71.
Paolo D'Iorio, "La superstition des philosophes critiques: Nietzsche et Afrikan Spir", Nietzsche-Studien, 1993, 22, p. 257–294.
Domenico M. Fazio, "Il Pensiero del Giovane Nietzsche e Afrikan Spir", in: Bollettino di Storia della Filosofia dell'Università degli Studi di Lecce, 1986/9, 9, p. 243–262.
Domenico M. Fazio, Nietzsche e il criticismo, Elementi kantiani e neokantiani e critica della dialettica hegeliana nella formazione filosofica del giovane Nietzsche, Urbino, QuattroVenti, 1991.
Michael Steven Green, Nietzsche and the Transcendental Tradition, Urbana & Chicago, University of Illinois Press – International Nietzsche Studies Series, 2002.
Michael Steven Green, "Nietzsche’s Place in Nineteenth Century German Philosophy", Inquiry, 2004, 47, p. 168–188. Review of Will Dudley, "Hegel, Nietzsche, and Philosophy: Thinking Freedom", Cambridge U. Press 2002.
Michael Steven Green, "Was Afrikan Spir a Phenomenalist (and What Difference Does It Make for Understanding Nietzsche)?, 44 Journal of Nietzsche Studies (forthcoming).
Nadeem J. Z. Hussain, "Nietzsche's Positivism", European Journal of Philosophy, 2004,12, p. 326–368.
Sergio Sánchez, "Logica, verità e credenza: alcune considerazioni in merito alla relazione Nietzsche–Spir” in: Maria Cristina Fornari (ed.), La trama del testo: Su alcune letture di Nietzsche, Lecce, Millela, 2000, p. 249–282.
Sergio Sánchez, "Linguaggio, conoscenza e verità nella filosofía del giovane Nietzsche: I frammenti postumi del 1873 e le loro fonti", Annuario Filosofico, 2000, 16, p. 213–240.
Sergio Sánchez, El problema del conocimiento en la filosofía del joven Nietzsche, Córdoba (Argentina), 2001
Karl Schlechta & Anni Anders, Friedrich Nietzsche: Von den verborgenen Anfängen seines Philosophierens,Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, F. Frommann, 1962, p. 119–122, 159–166.
Robin Small, "Nietzsche, Spir, and Time",Journal of the History of Philosophy, 1994, 32, p. 82–102. Reprinted in Chapter One of Robin Small, Nietzsche in Context, Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2001.