Cristopher Jacob Boström
1797–1866.
Philosopher.
Christopher Jacob Boström was born in Piteå and became a student in Uppsala in 1815.
From 1842 to 1863 he was professor of practical philosophy in Uppsala and was Sweden's most influential philosopher during the 19th century. He constructed a metaphysical system with roots in German and Swedish idealism. Boström was a convincing lecturer and excelled in speeches.
Boström's so-called rational idealism with its strong emphasis on the individual's duties in a moral and rational society came to exert a profound influence on mindsets in Sweden in the late half of the 19th century.
Boströmianism, named after its author, was the only original philosophical system that arose in Sweden in the 19th century and came through Boström's disciples to dominate Swedish university philosophy throughout the late 19th century.
His disciples included Sigurd Ribbing, Yngve Sahlin and Axel Nyblaeus. Boström's niece is Ebba Boström, founder of the Samaritans home. She is also buried in the Old Cemetery.
Burial site: 0119-0995
Image description: Christopher Jacob Boström, 1865. Photo: Litografiskt allehanda, femte årgången. Sigrid Flodins förlag. / Wikimedia Commons. [The image is cropped]
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