Rudolf Christoph Eucken
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Christoph Eucken (5 January 1846 – 15 September 1926) was a German
philosopher, and the winner of the 1908 Nobel Prize for Literature.
, Kingdom of Hanover
(now Lower Saxony
). His father died when he was a child, and he was brought up by his mother. He was educated at Aurich, where one of his teachers was the classical philologist and philosopher Ludwig Wilhelm Maximilian Reuter (1803-1881). He studied at Göttingen University and Berlin University
. In the latter place, Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg
was a professor whose ethical tendencies and historical treatment of philosophy greatly attracted him.
in in classical philology
and ancient history
at the Göttingen University in 1866, but the bent of his mind was definitely towards the philosophical side of theology
. In 1871, after five years working as a school teacher, he was appointed Professor of Philosophy
at the University of Basel
, Switzerland
. He stayed there until 1874 when he took up a similar position at the University of Jena
, Germany in 1874. He stayed there until he retired in 1920. From 1913-1914 he served as guest lecturer at New York University
.
.” In accordance with this principle, Eucken gave considerable attention to social and educational problems.
He maintained that humans have souls, and that they are therefore at the junction between nature and spirit. He believed that people should overcome their non-spiritual nature by continuous efforts to achieve a spiritual life, another aspect of his ethical activism.
became a famous founder of neoliberal thought in economics.
Other notable works are:
Other English translations of his work include:
He delivered lectures in England in 1911 and spent six months lecturing at Harvard University
and elsewhere in the United States in 1912–1913.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
philosopher, and the winner of the 1908 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Early life
Eucken was born in AurichAurich
Aurich is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich.-History:The history of Aurich dates back to the 13th century, when the settlement of Aurechove was mentioned in a Frisian document called the Brokmerbrief in 1276. In 1517, Count Edzard from the house of...
, Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
(now Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
). His father died when he was a child, and he was brought up by his mother. He was educated at Aurich, where one of his teachers was the classical philologist and philosopher Ludwig Wilhelm Maximilian Reuter (1803-1881). He studied at Göttingen University and Berlin University
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
. In the latter place, Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg
Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg
Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg was a German philosopher and philologist.-Early life:He was born at Eutin, near Lübeck. He was educated at the universities of Kiel, Leipzig, and Berlin...
was a professor whose ethical tendencies and historical treatment of philosophy greatly attracted him.
Career
Eucken received his Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in in classical philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and ancient history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the Göttingen University in 1866, but the bent of his mind was definitely towards the philosophical side of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. In 1871, after five years working as a school teacher, he was appointed Professor of Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He stayed there until 1874 when he took up a similar position at the University of Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, Germany in 1874. He stayed there until he retired in 1920. From 1913-1914 he served as guest lecturer at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Ethical activism
Eucken's philosophical work is partly historical and partly constructive, the former side being predominant in his earlier, the latter in his later works. Their most striking feature is the close organic relationship between the two parts. The aim of the historical works is to show the necessary connexion between philosophical concepts and the age to which they belong; the same idea is at the root of his constructive speculation. All philosophy is philosophy of life, the development of a new culture, not mere intellectualism, but the application of a vital religious inspiration to the practical problems of society. This practical idealism Eucken described by the term “activismActivism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
.” In accordance with this principle, Eucken gave considerable attention to social and educational problems.
He maintained that humans have souls, and that they are therefore at the junction between nature and spirit. He believed that people should overcome their non-spiritual nature by continuous efforts to achieve a spiritual life, another aspect of his ethical activism.
Personal life
He married in 1882 and had a daughter and two sons. His son Walter EuckenWalter Eucken
Walter Eucken was a German economist and father of ordoliberalism. His name is closely linked with the development of the "social market economy".-Life:...
became a famous founder of neoliberal thought in economics.
Major works
He was a prolific writer; his best-known works are:- Die Lebensanschauungen der großen Denker (1890; 7th ed., 1907; Eng. trans., W. Hough and Boyce Gibson, The Problem of Human Life, 1909) (The Problem of Human Life as Viewed by the Great Thinkers)
- Der Kampf um einen geistigen Lebensinhalt (1896) (The Struggle for a Spiritual Content of Life),
- Der Wahrheitsgehalt der Religion (1901) (The Truth of Religion),
- Grundlinien einer neuen Lebensanschauung (1907) (Life's Basis and Life's Ideal: The Fundamentals of a New Philosophy of Life),
- Der Sinn und Wert des Lebens (1908) (The Meaning and Value of Life)
- Geistige Strömungen der Gegenwart (1908; first appeared in 1878 as Die Grundbegriffe der Gegenwart; Eng. trans. by M. Stuart Phelps, New York, 1880) (Main Currents of Modern Thought)
- Können wir noch Christen sein? (1911) (Can We Still Be Christians?).
- Present Day Ethics in their Relation to the Spiritual Life (1913) (Deem Lectures given at New York University)
- Der Sozialismus und seine Lebensgestaltung (1920) (Socialism: an Analysis)
Other notable works are:
- Die Methode der aristotelischen Forschung (1872) (The Aristotelian Method of Research)
- Geschichte der philosophische Terminologie (1879) (History of Philosophical Terminology)
- Prolegomena zu Forschungen über die Einheit des Geisteslebens (1885) (Prolegomena to Research on the Unity of the Spiritual Life)
- Beiträge zur Geschichte der neueren Philosophie (1886, 1905) (Contributions to the History of the Newer Philosophies)
- Die Einheit des Geisteslebens (1888) (The Unity of the Spiritual Life)
- Thomas von Aquino und Kant (1901) (Thomas Aquinas and Kant)
- Gesammelte Aufsätze zu Philosophische und Lebensanschauung (1903) (Collected Essays on Views of Philosophy and Life)
- Philosophie der Geschichte (1907) (Philosophy of History)
- Einführung in die Philosophie der Geisteslebens (1908; Eng. trans., The Life of the Spirit, F. L. Pogson, 1909, Crown Theological Library) (Introduction to the Philosophy of the Life of the Spirit)
- Hauptprobleme der Religionsphilosophie der Gegenwart (1907) (Main Problems of the Current Philosophy of Religion)
Other English translations of his work include:
- Liberty in Teaching in the German Universities (1897)
- Are the Germans still a Nation of Thinkers? (1898)
- Progress of Philosophy in the 19th Century (1899)
- The Finnish Question (1899)
- The Present Status of Religion in Germany (1901)
He delivered lectures in England in 1911 and spent six months lecturing at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and elsewhere in the United States in 1912–1913.
External links
- Eucken, Rudolf Christoph at www.nobel-winners.com (By Abel J. JonesAbel J. Jones-Early years:Jones was born in Rhymney, Bedwellty, Monmouthshire. His parents, David Rees Jones and Hannah Jones and his sister Annie and brothers Rees and David Rees spoke only Welsh whereas Abel spoke Welsh and English fluently....
)