Humboldt, Wilhelm von

(Friedrich) Wilhelm (Christian Karl Ferdinand) Baron von Humboldt (1767-1835) was a German philosopher, linguist, educator, politician, diplomat, civil servant and the founder of the Humboldt University in Berlin. His most renown work was "Ideen zu einem Versuch die Grenzen der Wirksamkeit des Staates zu bestimmen", translated in English as "The Sphere and Duties of Government" in 1854 and as "The Limits of State Action" in 1993, where he defended the liberties of the Enlightenment against the intrusive role of the state.