Editing Gustav Fechner (section)

== Early life and scientific career ==
Fechner was born at [[Żarki Wielkie|Groß Särchen]], near [[Muskau]], in [[Lower Lusatia]], where his father, a maternal uncle, and his paternal grandfather were pastors. His mother, Johanna Dorothea Fechner (b. 1774), née Fischer, also came from a religious family. Some biographers consider, that despite these religious influences, Fechner became an atheist in later life,<ref name = Heidelberger2004>{{cite book|title=Nature from within: Gustav Theodor Fechner and his Psychophysical Worldview|year=2004|publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press|isbn=9780822970774|page=21|author=Michael Heidelberger|chapter=1: Life and Work|quote=The study of medicine also contributed to a loss of religious faith and to becoming atheist.}}</ref> while the others says that Fechner had his own religious system  as a synthesis of Christianity and paganism.<ref>{{Citation |last=Beiser |first=Frederick C. |title=Gustav Theodor Fechner |date=2024 |encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |editor-last=Zalta |editor-first=Edward N. |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/fechner/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |edition=Summer 2024 |publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University |editor2-last=Nodelman |editor2-first=Uri}}</ref>  

Fechner's father, Samuel Traugott Fischer Fechner (1765-1806) was free-thinking in many ways, for example by having his children be [[vaccine|vaccinated]], teaching them Latin, and being a passionate grower of fruit.<ref name = Heidelberger2004 /> He died unexpectedly in 1806, leaving the family destitute.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beiser |first1=Frederick C. |title=Gustav Theodor Fechner |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/fechner/ |website=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |access-date=13 July 2022}}</ref> Fechner had an elder brother, [[Eduard Clemens Fechner]] (1799-1861) and three younger sisters: Emilie, Clementine, and Mathilde. Fechner and his brother were then raised for a few years by his maternal uncle—the pastor, before being reunited with his mother and sisters in [[Dresden]].<ref name = Heidelberger2004 />

Fechner was educated first at [[Sorau]] (now [[Żary]] in Western [[Poland]]).

In 1817 Fechner studied medicine for six months at the {{Interlanguage link|Medizinische Akademie Carl Gustav Carus|de}} in [[Dresden]] and from 1818 at the [[University of Leipzig]], the city in which he spent the rest of his life.<ref>[https://vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/people/data?id=per68 Fechner, Gustav Theodor at vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de].</ref> He earned his PhD from Leipzig in 1823.<ref name="Meischner-Metge">{{cite web |last1=Meischner-Metge |first1=Anneros |title=Chronological table to the life of Gustav Theodor Fechner |url=https://psychologie.lw.uni-leipzig.de/wundt/viewerz.htm |publisher=Leipzig University |access-date=16 July 2022}}</ref>

In 1834 he was appointed professor of [[physics]] at Leipzig. But in 1839, he injured his eyes in the research on afterimages by gazing at the Sun through colored glasses,<ref>Boring, E. G. (1950). ''A history of experimental psychology'' (2nd ed.). (pp. 284-295) Appleton-Century-Crofts.</ref> while studying the phenomena of color and [[Visual perception|vision]], and, after much suffering, resigned. Subsequently, recovering, he turned to the study of the [[mind]] and its relations with the body, giving public lectures on the subjects dealt with in his books.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Fechner, Gustav Theodor|volume=10|pages=231–232|first=Henry Cecil|last=Sturt}}</ref> Whilst lying in bed, Fechner had an insight into the relationship between mental sensations and material sensations. This insight proved to be significant in the development of psychology as there was now a quantitative relationship between the mental and physical worlds.<ref>Schultz, P.D., & Schultz, S.E. (2008). ''A History of Modern Psychology.''(pp. 81-82).Thompson Wadsworth.</ref>