Was Daniel Fahrenheit a Pole?

JaneDoeThreads: 7 Posts: 237 Joined: Sep 26, 08 ♂	Feb 15, 11, 23:01 #1
A scientist best known for inventing thermometers. He was born in Danzig (Gdańsk) when it was a part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But most of his life he spent in Germany. So was he a Pole or a German?

BarneyThreads: 16 Posts: 1,630 Joined: May 26, 08 ♂	Feb 15, 11, 23:05 #2
Was Daniel Fahrenheit a Pole? Only to a certain degree

JaneDoeThreads: 7 Posts: 237 Joined: Sep 26, 08 ♂	Feb 15, 11, 23:06 #3
Barney: Only to a certain degree LOL. Good one.

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Feb 15, 11, 23:08 #4
JaneDoe: A scientist best known for inventing thermometers. He was born in Danzig (Gdańsk) when it was a part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But most of his life he spent in Germany. JaneDoe, Danzig's population was always to over 98% German, the language was always German too and so him just as well as Johann Hewelke (Hevelius), Arthur Schopenhauer and many others were all Germans.

Des EssientesThreads: 11 Posts: 2,318 Joined: Feb 6, 10 ♂ [Suspended]	Feb 15, 11, 23:08 #5
Fahrenheit looks like a Germanic surname.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07 ♂	Feb 15, 11, 23:13 #6
Guess who is right. He was from Gdansk, but his family were culturally German. Whether they had any Polish blood is anybody's guess, but if he had, we'd probably know.

♂

Feb 16, 11, 00:20 #7

guesswho:

Danzig's population was always to over 98% German

Have you ever heard about Pomeranians?

jonni:

Whether they had any Polish blood is anybody's guess, but if he had, we'd probably know.

I don't know if i have polish blood. I never heard about genes defining Poles(I suspect that Hitler could have said something like that). I thought that being a Pole is something related to mother language, traditions, self-identification, living space and citizenship.

jonni:

He was from Gdansk, but his family were culturally German.

So he was probably German.

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Feb 16, 11, 00:33 #8
Malopolanin: Have you ever heard about Pomeranians? Have you heard about Pommern? What are you trying to say? Are you disagreeing that the language spoken in Danzig was German?

MalopolaninThreads: 8 Posts: 198 Joined: Sep 5, 10 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 00:39 #9
guesswho: language was always German guesswho: Are you disagreeing Yes.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07 ♂	Edited by: jonni Feb 16, 11, 01:18 #10
Malopolanin: being a Pole is something related to mother language, traditions, self-identification, living space and citizenship. And his were all decidedly German, except citizenship which didn't exist in his day . Don't start pointless arguments.

JaneDoeThreads: 7 Posts: 237 Joined: Sep 26, 08 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 01:42 #11
Maybe his heart wasn't Polish, but his brain was definitely Polish! ;)

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Feb 16, 11, 01:47 #12
Malopolanin: Yes. OK, since 1945 it obviously isn't. JaneDoe: ;) I agree to that :-)

MalopolaninThreads: 8 Posts: 198 Joined: Sep 5, 10 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 02:04 #13
jonni: And his were all decidedly German, except citizenship which didn't exist in his day . Don't start pointless arguments. ? Malopolanin: he was probably German. guesswho: OK, since 1945 it obviously isn't. And before for centuries. Or maybe you say Donald Tusk family is 98% German and only German speaking?

PennBoyThreads: 157 Posts: 3,442 Joined: Dec 7, 08 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 02:09 #14
guesswho: OK, since 1945 it obviously isn't. Even before that, from the 1500s onwards beside the German-speaking majority the city was home to a large number of Polish-speaking Poles, Polish Jews, and Dutch. After winning the Polish-Teutonic War in 1525 Poland made The Duchy of Prussia it's fiefdom and large numbers of other people came.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 02:10 #15
And Scots too.

♀

Feb 16, 11, 02:15 #16

PennBoy:

beside the German-speaking majority the city

you see, this is exactly what I'm talking about, even in times where Danzig was in Polish hands, the majority of its people were Germans and the language was obviously German too.
Look, it's the same with Poland during the partitions, Poles spoke always Polish and deep down inside of every Polish heart, those territories even though officially not present, were always Polish too.

IronsideThreads: 59 Posts: 6,786 Joined: Feb 26, 09 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 02:18 #17
JaneDoe: So was he a Pole or a German? Surly he was a Pole, if you don't believe me ask Harry !

♂ [Suspended]

Feb 16, 11, 02:22 #18

guesswho:

Arthur Schopenhauer and many others were all Germans.

It should be noted that although Arthur Schopenhauer was born in Danzig his family moved to Hamburg when he was a boy and they moved because Arthur's ultra-rich merchant father didn't want to live in Prussian ruled Danzig without all the freedom from regulation and taxation that the Polish had allowed. The Schopenhauers were quite cosmopolitan having chosen the name Arthur for their son because of its internationality. I know rabid nationalism is a pastime for some in this forum, but claiming a thinkers like Schopenhauer, or even Fahrenheit, for a nation such as "Germany" is really pointless. Arthur himself compared the Napoleonic wars that ravaged "his" nation to a barroom brawl between louts that was beneath his concern. Great thinkers are a nation unto themselves.

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Feb 16, 11, 02:44 #19
Des Essientes: but claiming a thinkers like Schopenhauer, or even Fahrenheit, for a nation such as "Germany" is really pointless OK, following your logic, whoever achieved something really big, is not to be claimed by anyone, right?

Des EssientesThreads: 11 Posts: 2,318 Joined: Feb 6, 10 ♂ [Suspended]	Edited by: Des Essientes Feb 16, 11, 02:53 #20
People can "claim" whoever they want but it's still silly and especially silly when those so claimed despise the sorts of people who go about claiming.

♀

Edited by: guesswho Feb 16, 11, 03:03 #21

Des Essientes:

those so claimed despise the sorts of people who go about claiming.

how do you know how he felt about himself? Since there's no other proof but the fact that he was born as a German, he's to be seen as such, don't you think?
Following your logic, no one is to be claimed by anyone at all but this is not how it works. Black is still black and if you're born Polish you're Polish etc...(unless it's known that you claim to be someone else)

ShortHairThugThreads: - Posts: 1,377 Joined: May 1, 09 ♂	Edited by: ShortHairThug Feb 16, 11, 03:10 #22
guesswho: how do you know how he felt about himself? Since there's no other proof but the fact that he was born as a German, he's to be seen as such, don't you think? Not exactly, when he was fifteen his parents died suddenly so he was sent to Amsterdam that would make him Dutch where he lived most of his life..

PennBoyThreads: 157 Posts: 3,442 Joined: Dec 7, 08 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 03:11 #23
He was definitely ethnic German, but in Poland before the 19th century basically everyone who spoke Polish lived in Poland saw themselves as one thing, Polish, just like Copernicus.

Des EssientesThreads: 11 Posts: 2,318 Joined: Feb 6, 10 ♂ [Suspended]	Edited by: Des Essientes Feb 16, 11, 03:14 #24
I provided an example of how he felt himself in my original post. I am not going to argue with someone who didn't read and comprehend my post and who obviously hasn't read Schopenhauer. Go to the library and if Schopenhauer's writings are too much for you and you wish to know about Schopenhauer's life I highly recommend Rudigar Safranski's biography of him.

IronsideThreads: 59 Posts: 6,786 Joined: Feb 26, 09 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 03:15 #25
PennBoy: He was definitely ethnic German, He was Polish - ask Harry !

PlasticPoleThreads: 10 Posts: 5,431 Joined: May 28, 09 ♀	Feb 16, 11, 03:17 #26
guesswho: OK, following your logic, whoever achieved something really big, is not to be claimed by anyone, right? He belongs to the world.

IronsideThreads: 59 Posts: 6,786 Joined: Feb 26, 09 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 03:17 #27
Des Essientes: Schopenhauer. was a globalist, a citizen of the world, that is until he was asked for a pass!

PennBoyThreads: 157 Posts: 3,442 Joined: Dec 7, 08 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 03:22 #28
Des Essientes: I am not going to argue with someone who didn't read and comprehend my post and who obviously hasn't read Schopenhauer. Go to the library and if Schopenhauer's writings are too much for you Jesus Christ, I said basically everyone did see themselves as Poles, if he was of German blood it should be noted, no matter what nationality he saw himself as.

Des EssientesThreads: 11 Posts: 2,318 Joined: Feb 6, 10 ♂ [Suspended]	Feb 16, 11, 03:25 #29
Penn boy my post was directed at Guesswho who claimed we have no way of knowing how Schopenhauer felt about nationalism, but we have his writings.

PennBoyThreads: 157 Posts: 3,442 Joined: Dec 7, 08 ♂	Feb 16, 11, 03:32 #30
Des Essientes: Penn boy my post was directed at Guesswho Then I apologize. Friedrich Nietzsche too felt Polish "Hans von Müller debunked the genealogy put forward by Nietzsche's sister in favor of a Polish noble heritage. It is not known why Nietzsche wanted to be thought of as Polish nobility."

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