Richter, Raoul
RICHTER, RAOUL
RICHTER, RAOUL (1871–1912), German philosopher. Richter, who was born in Berlin, was the son of the non-Jewish painter, Gustav Richter, and Carola, the daughter of the composer Giacomo *Meyerbeer. He grew up in the rich artistic and cultural atmosphere of his parents' circle. He became a teacher at Leipzig, and in 1905 a professor. His first writing was Zur Loesung des Faustproblems (1892).
In 1903 he published his important biographical study of Nietzsche, Friedrich Nietzsche, sein Leben und sein Werk. His Der Skeptizismus in der Philosophie und seine Ueberwindung (2 vols., 1904–08) is a historical and philosophical study of skepticism from ancient times up to Nietzsche. His last book, Religionsphilosophie (1912), contains his critique of positive religion, his opposition to theism and atheism, and his advocacy of pantheism. Richter believed God was neither personal nor impersonal, but rather a suprapersonal organism. In 1913 a volume of his Essays was published containing works on Faust, Nietzsche, and Pascal.
[Richard H. Popkin]