(Born: Breslau, Germany, 24 January 1679; Died: Halle, Germany, 9 April 1754) German physician.

Wolff went to school in Breslau at the Magdalenengymnasium, then in 1699, he spent three years at Jena studying mathematics and theology. Wolff's first interest was mathematics. Although he made no original contribution to the discipline, he was an important figure in the teaching of mathematics who was instrumental in introducing the new mathematics into German universities. After the early years teaching mathematics, he was primarily a philosopher who developed the most impressive coherent system of the 18th century. Natural philosophy was never his sole or primary enterprise in philosophy.

Biographical references: ADB: 44, 12-32. • Börner, Vornehmsten Lebensumständen, 1749-64. • DBA: I 1388, 85-319; 1431, 412; II 1425, 342-433. • Freiesleben, Sächsische Mineralien-Verzeichnisse, 1828: 133, no. 3 [Biographical notes from catalog title.]. • Hirsching, Historisch-literarisches Handbuch, 1794-1815. • Kluge, F.W., Christian von Wolf, der Philosoph. Breslau, 1831. [Best biographical reference]. • Meusel, Verstorbenen Teutschen Schrifsteller, 1802-16. • Poggendorff: 2, cols. 1355-6. • WBI. • Wolff, C., Christian Wolffs eigene Lebensbeschreibung. Leipzig, 1841. [autobiography]. • Zedler, Universal Lexicon, 1732-50: 58, cols. 549-677.

1. German, 1714 [Auction catalog].
Museum Wolffianum, oder Verzeichniß von alerhand Insectis, Papilionibus, Ossibus und Partibus von mancherley Thieren, Mineralibus, Petrefactis, Ipretieusen und configurirten Steinen, &c. welche Herr Christian Wolff mit sonderbaren Fleiß vormahls colligiret, und sollen verkauffet werden. Leipzig, 1714.

8°: 110 p. Rare.

Bibliographical references: Freiesleben, Sächsische Mineralien-Verzeichnisse, 1828: no. 3. • Gatterer, Mineralogischen Literatur, 1798-9: 1, 259-60.

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