Friedrich Theodor Vischer

Born June 30, 1807, in Ludwigsburg; died Sept. 14, 1887, in Gmunden. German aesthetician, critic, and writer.

Vischer was the author of the six-volume Ästhetik, oder Wissenschaft des Schönen (parts 1–3, 1846–58). This epigonic work, of the Hegelian school, had a considerable influence on German academic aesthetics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Late in life, Vischer developed the theory of empathy. He was also the author of such works as Critical Path (vol. 1, 1860) and the tragicomic novel The Humour of Germany (Auch Einer, vols. 1–2, 1879).