Trained in classical philosophy, metaphysics, and logical reasoning under Brentano and Lotze, Stumpf also possessed outstanding scientific education in mathematics and physics. His extensive body of work spans philosophy phenomenology, as well as experimental research in psychology, including acoustic and musical phenomena, psychology, animal psychology, the psychology of genius, and numerous other areas. In his epistemological writings, Stumpf proposes that philosophy and scientific practice should be mutually complementary, going beyond speculation to establish factual truths through experimentation. He specifies that this approach should include the sciences and not just the humanities. While these ideas secured him a successful professorship in Berlin, they placed him as an outsider among philosophers, particularly in the phenomenological movement. This facet of Stumpf's thinking may exhibit a surprising modernity that justifies reconsideration presently.
