Lichtenberg's Avertissement, written by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, is a poster intended to deter the citizens of Göttingen, Germany, from attending the performance of Jacob Philadelphia in 1777. The performance was supposed to be an exhibition of scientific experiments; however, Lichtenberg considered it to be a magic show. He was angered by the alleged deception and posted the following satire in order to persuade people to avoid the performance. As a result of the extravagant claims that were posted, Philadelphia left Göttingen without giving any exhibitions.
The ad claimed that Philadelphia would poison the women in the audience with arsenic and lead.
Text The Avertissement reads as follows:
Schopenhauer's reference Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer made reference to the sixth trick in his Critique of the Kantian Philosophy, in connection with Kant's antinomies (Critique of Pure Reason A406). Schopenhauer wrote:
References
External links Pdf of the Avertissment