Das Lernsubjekt in der Spätaufklärung. Der Widerspruch als Lernanlass in Karl Philipp Moritz' „Magazin zur Erfahrungsseelenkunde“

The historiography of adult education has painted an almost entirely optimistic picture of enlightenment until today. The actors are defined as people who are willing to learn and capable of being educated. Thanks to the advances in the enlightenment process they mature into responsible citizens. Sources based on individual history, like the ones presented in the “Magazin zur Erfahrungsseelenkunde” (1783-1793), are not taken into consideration. In his role as editor of the periodical magazine, Karl Philipp Moritz (1756-1793) advocates using the contradictory experiences in the progress of the enlightenment to create an incentive for learning, thus fostering the development of both the individual and of society in general.