Dingler, Hugo (1881-1954)

Dingler, Hugo

PHILOSOPHER (GERMANY)

BORN 7 Jul 1881, München, Bayern - DIED 29 Jun 1954, München, Bayern
CAUSE OF DEATH heart failure
GRAVE LOCATION Aschaffenburg, Bayern: Altstadtfriedhof, Lamprechtstrasse (I-46)

Hugo Dingler was the son of Hermann Dingler, a botanist who had assisted Carl Wilhelm von Nägeli before he became a professor in Aschaffenburg. His mother was Maria Erlenmeyer, the daughter of the chemist Emil Erlenmeyer. He studied mathematics and physics at the universities of Erlangen, Göttingen and Munich. In 1906 he was promoted in Munich. During the First World War he served in the army.

In 1920 he became a professor in Munich. He criticised the theory of relativity by Einstein, considering it circular. His criticism during the 1920s led to public animosity between him and Einstein. In 1932 he moved to Darmstadt. After the nazis came to power in 1933 he joined the SS. His application for membership of the NSDAP was unanswered. In 1934 he was forced to retired in Darmstadt after unclear developments. He returned to Munich, where he was in close contact with Eduard May, Wilhelm Müller and Bruno Thüring.

Although he was a freemason, Adolf Hitler personally ordered him to be allowed to become a member of the NSDAP in 1940. He obtained a teaching position at the university in Munich that he held until 1945. After the war he was suspended from his position and in 1948 he was fined.

Also after the war he married his second wife Martha Schmitt. After he died in 1954 of heart failure she continued to promote his work.

Images
The grave of Hugo Dingler at the Altstadtfriedhof, Aschaffenburg. Picture by Androom (02 May 2013)	The grave of Hugo Dingler at the Altstadtfriedhof, Aschaffenburg. Picture by Androom (02 May 2013)