This study draws on a conceptual framework from psychological anthropology to examine, against this backdrop, Justus Möser’s view of humanity as the starting point for the official and journalistic work of the Osnabrück statesman and writer. The various aspects of his work, which have already been the subject of numerous fragmented studies, are brought together here within a holistic framework. In the context of the conditions for success in the crumbling Old Empire, Möser’s ambivalences in word and deed are deciphered, contextualized, and finally evaluated.