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Rudolf Christoph Eucken

ルドルフ・クリストフ・オイケン

Rudolf Christoph Eucken

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1846-01-05 （Aurich, Kingdom of Hanover, German Confederation）
Died
1926-09-14 （Jena, Thuringia, Germany） age 80
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Religion
Protestant (Lutheran)
Residence History
Aurich (birthplace) → Göttingen (studies) → Berlin (studies/work) → Husum (worked as teacher) → Basel (professorship) → Jena (long-term position/death)

Career

Occupations
philosopher, university professor, writer
Active Years
1866-1920
Affiliations
University of Basel (professor), University of Jena (professor), Harvard University (visiting/exchange professor), New York University (Deem lecturer)
Influenced By
Hermann Lotze, F. A. Trendelenburg, Gustav Teichmüller
Influenced
Walter Eucken (son, economist), Early 20th-century German intellectual and ethical movements

Education

University of Göttingen
Classical philology and ancient history
Degree: PhD
Period: 1863–1866
Year of Graduation: 1866
Country: Germany
Dissertation: De Aristotelis dicendi ratione (On Aristotle's rhetoric)
Berlin University (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Studied philosophy and theology
Period: 1866–
Country: Germany
Studied under Hermann Lotze and F. A. Trendelenburg

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature
1908
Organization: Swedish Academy / Nobel Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Problem of Human Life as Viewed by the Great Thinkers (Die Lebensanschauungen der großen Denker)

1890 philosophy / intellectual history

A comparative study of major thinkers from antiquity to the modern era, examining conceptions of human life and the spiritual life.

spiritual lifemeaning of lifehistory of philosophy
Translations
  • The Problem of Human Life (English translation)

Life's Basis and Life's Ideal: The Fundamentals of a New Philosophy of Life (Grundlinien einer neuen Lebensanschauung)

1907 philosophy

Sets out the fundamentals of a new philosophy of life, advocating practical idealism and ethical activism.

ethical activismidealismreligious/spiritual inspiration

The Meaning and Value of Life (Der Sinn und Wert des Lebens)

1908 philosophy

Philosophical reflections on the meaning and value of life, emphasizing the importance of the life of the spirit.

meaning of lifespirituality
Translations
  • The Meaning and Value of Life (English translation)

Bibliography

  • Die Lebensanschauungen der großen Denker (1890)
  • Der Kampf um einen geistigen Lebensinhalt (1896)
  • Der Wahrheitsgehalt der Religion (1901)
  • Grundlinien einer neuen Lebensanschauung (1907)
  • Der Sinn und Wert des Lebens (1908)

Translations of Works

  • The Problem of Human Life (English translation)
  • The Meaning and Value of Life (English translation)
  • Can We Still Be Christians? (English translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
idealistic, essayistic prosescholarly style combining historical analysis and constructive speculation
Recurring Motifs
life of the spiritethical activismmeaning of life

Legacy

Eucken received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1908 and is known for his idealistic, ethically engaged philosophy of life. He influenced German intellectual and religious-philosophical discourse in the early 20th century.

Museums

  • Rudolf Eucken birthplace (Aurich, commemorative site) Aurich, Osterstraße 27

Archives

  • Nobel Foundation (biographical and award materials)
  • Internet Archive (digital copies of works)

Quotes

  • "in recognition of his earnest search for truth, his penetrating power of thought, his wide range of vision, and the warmth and strength in presentation with which in his numerous works he has vindicated and developed an idealistic philosophy of life"
    Source: Nobel Committee (award citation, 1908) (1908)

Trivia

  • Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1908.
  • Was selected for the University of Basel professorship over Friedrich Nietzsche.
  • His son Walter Eucken became an important figure in ordoliberal economic thought.