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{{short description|19th/20th-century German philosopher (1846–1926)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox philosopher
{{Infobox philosopher
⚫
|image = Eucken-im-Alter.png
|region = [[Western philosophy]]
|era = [[19th-century philosophy|19th-]]/[[20th-century philosophy]]
⚫
|image = Eucken-im-Alter.png
|caption =
|name = Rudolf Christoph Eucken
|name = Rudolf Christoph Eucken
|birth_date = {{birth date|1846|1|5|df=y}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1846|1|5|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Aurich]], [[Kingdom of Hanover]], [[German Confederation|Germany]]
|birth_place = [[Aurich]], Kingdom of Hanover, Germany
|death_date = {{death date and age|1926|9|15|1846|1|5|df=y}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|1926|9|14|1846|1|5|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Jena]], [[Thuringia]], [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]
|death_place = [[Jena]], Thuringia, Germany
|alma_mater = [[Göttingen University]]<br>[[Berlin University]]
|alma_mater = [[Göttingen University]]<br>[[Berlin University]]
|institutions = [[University of Jena]]<br>[[University of Basel]]
|institutions = [[University of Jena]]<br>[[University of Basel]]
|school_tradition = [[Continental philosophy]]<br>[[German idealism]]
|school_tradition = [[Continental philosophy]]<br>[[German idealism]]
|main_interests = [[Ethics]]
|main_interests = [[Ethics]]
|notable_ideas = ''Aktivismus'' ([[ethical activism]])<ref name="Gibson">[[W. R. Boyce Gibson]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=RWc2V_JnKTMC&dq= ''Rudolf Eucken's Philosophy of Life''], Kessinger Publishing, 2004, p. 170.</ref><br>[[The Real#In philosophy|The Real]]
|notable_ideas = ''Aktivismus'' ([[Ethical activism]])<ref name="Gibson">[[W. R. Boyce Gibson]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=RWc2V_JnKTMC&dq= ''Rudolf Eucken's Philosophy of Life''], Kessinger Publishing, 2004, p. 170.</ref><br>[[The Real#In philosophy|The Real]]
|influences = [[Aristotle]], [[Thomas Aquinas|Aquinas]], [[Gustav Teichmüller|Teichmüller]], [[Hermann Lotze|Lotze]], [[Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg|Trendelenburg]]
|influenced = [[Max Scheler]]<br>[[W. R. Boyce Gibson]]<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sMffGQKgJ9EC&dq= ''Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources, Volume 8, Tome III''], Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009, p. 177.</ref><br>[[Abel J. Jones]]<br>[[Evelyn Underhill]]
|signature = Rudolf Eucken (signature).jpg
|signature = Rudolf Eucken (signature).jpg
|awards = [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] (1908)
|awards = [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] (1908)
}}
}}
'''Rudolf Christoph Eucken''' ({{IPA-de|ˈɔʏkn̩|lang}}; 5 January 1846{{snd}}15 September 1926) was a [[Germany|German]] [[philosopher]]. He received the 1908 [[Nobel Prize for Literature]] "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", after he had been nominated by a member of the [[Swedish Academy]].<ref>[https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show.php?id=3471 nobelprize.org]</ref>
'''Rudolf Christoph Eucken''' ({{IPA|de|ˈʁuːdɔlf ˈʔɔʏkn̩|-|De-Rudolf Eucken.ogg}}; 5 January 1846{{snd}}14 September 1926<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1908/eucken/facts/ |title= Rudolf Eucken |website=Rudolf Eucken Facts |access-date=3 June 2023}}</ref>) was a German [[philosopher]]. He received the [[1908 Nobel Prize in Literature]] "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", after he had been nominated by a member of the [[Swedish Academy]].<ref>[https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show.php?id=3471 nobelprize.org]</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Vincent was born on 5 January 1846 in [[Aurich]], then in the [[Kingdom of Hanover]] (now [[Lower Saxony]]). His father, Ammo Becker Eucken (1792–1851) died when he was a child, and he was brought up by his mother, Ida Maria (1814–1872, née Gittermann).<ref name="Bio2"/> He was educated at Aurich, where one of his teachers was the classical philologist and philosopher Ludwig Wilhelm Maximilian Reuter (1803–1881).<ref name=eb1911>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Eucken, Rudolf Christoph|volume=9|page=878}}</ref> He studied at [[Göttingen University]] (1863–66), where [[Hermann Lotze]] was one of his teachers, and [[Humboldt University of Berlin|Berlin University]].<ref name=Bio2>{{cite web|url=http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz19591.html|title=Biografie Rudolf Christoph Eucken (German)|publisher=Bayerische Nationalbibliothek|accessdate=5 August 2015}}</ref> In the latter place, [[Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg]] was a professor whose ethical tendencies and historical treatment of philosophy greatly attracted him.
Eucken was born on 5 January 1846 in [[Aurich]], then in the [[Kingdom of Hanover]] (now [[Lower Saxony]]). His father, Ammo Becker Eucken died when he was a child, and he was brought up by his mother, Ida Maria (née Gittermann).<ref name="Bio2"/> He was educated at Aurich, where one of his teachers was the [[classical philologist]] and philosopher Ludwig Wilhelm Maximilian Reuter.<ref name=eb1911>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Eucken, Rudolf Christoph|volume=9|page=878}}</ref> He studied at [[Göttingen University]] (1863–1866), where [[Hermann Lotze]] was one of his teachers, and [[Humboldt University of Berlin|Berlin University]].<ref name="Bio2">{{cite web |title=Biografie Rudolf Christoph Eucken (German) |url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz19591.html |access-date=5 August 2015 |publisher=Bayerische Nationalbibliothek}}</ref> In the latter place, [[Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg]] was a professor whose ethical tendencies and historical treatment of philosophy greatly attracted him.


==Career==
==Career==
Eucken received his [[Ph.D.]] in classical [[philology]] and ancient [[history]] at [[Göttingen University]] in 1866 with a dissertation under the title ''De Aristotelis dicendi ratione''.<ref>The dissertation is available [https://archive.org/details/dearistotelisdi00euckgoog online at Internet Archive].</ref> However, the inclination of his mind was definitely towards the philosophical side of [[theology]].<ref name="eb1911"/> In 1871, after five years working as a school teacher at [[Husum]], Berlin und [[Frankfurt]], he was appointed Professor of [[Philosophy]] at the [[University of Basel]], [[Switzerland]], succeeding another of his former teachers at Göttingen, [[Gustav Teichmüller]]. He stayed there until 1874 when he took up a similar position at the [[University of Jena]].<ref name="eb1911"/> He stayed there until he retired in 1920. In 1912–13, Eucken spent half of the year as an exchange professor at [[Harvard University]], and in 1913 he served as a Deem lecturer at [[New York University]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=L3Q7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=rudolf+eucken+harvard+university#v=onepage&q=rudolf%20eucken%20harvard%20university&f=false|title=Harvard University Catalogue|last=University|first=Harvard|date=1912|publisher=The University.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1908/eucken-bio.html|title=Rudolf Eucken - Biographical|website=www.nobelprize.org|access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref> During [[World War I]], Eucken, like many of his academic colleagues, took a strong line in favour of the causes with which his country had associated itself.<ref name="Bio2"/><ref>{{Cite EB1922|wstitle=Eucken, Rudolf Christoph}}</ref>
Eucken received his [[PhD]] in classical [[philology]] and [[ancient history]] at [[Göttingen University]] in 1866 with a dissertation titled ''De Aristotelis dicendi ratione''.<ref>The dissertation is available [https://archive.org/details/dearistotelisdi00euckgoog online at Internet Archive].</ref> However, the inclination of his mind was definitely towards the philosophical side of [[theology]].<ref name="eb1911"/> In 1871, after five years working as a school teacher at [[Husum]], Berlin und [[Frankfurt]], he was appointed Professor of [[Philosophy]] at the [[University of Basel]], [[Switzerland]], succeeding another of his former teachers at Göttingen, [[Gustav Teichmüller]], and beating Friedrich Nietzsche in competition for the position. He stayed there until 1874 when he took up a similar position at the [[University of Jena]].<ref name="eb1911"/> He stayed there until he retired in 1920. In 1912–13, Eucken spent half of the year as an exchange professor at [[Harvard University]], and in 1913 he served as a Deem lecturer at [[New York University]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L3Q7AQAAMAAJ&q=rudolf+eucken+harvard+university&pg=PA28|title=Harvard University Catalogue|last=University|first=Harvard|date=1912|publisher=The University.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1908/eucken-bio.html|title=Rudolf Eucken - Biographical|website=www.nobelprize.org|access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref> During [[World War I]], Eucken, like many of his academic colleagues, took a strong line in favour of the causes with which his country had associated itself.<ref name="Bio2"/><ref>{{Cite EB1922|wstitle=Eucken, Rudolf Christoph|volume=31|pages=13–14}}</ref>


[[File:Aurich, Ostfriesland, Osterstraße 27, Geburtshaus von Rudolf Eucken (2).JPG|thumb|Birthplace of Rudolf Eucken in Aurich, Osterstraße 27 (September 2015)]]
[[File:Aurich, Ostfriesland, Osterstraße 27, Geburtshaus von Rudolf Eucken (2).JPG|thumb|Birthplace of Rudolf Eucken in Aurich, Osterstraße 27 (September 2015)]]


==Ethical activism<!--'Ethical activism' and 'Activism (Eucken)' redirect here--->==
==Ethical activism<!--'Ethical activism' and 'Activism (Eucken)' redirect here--->==
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 "'''ethical activism'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->."<ref name="Gibson"/> In accordance with this principle, Eucken gave considerable attention to social and educational problems.<ref name=eb1911/>
Eucken's philosophical work is partly historical and partly [[Moral constructivism|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 connection 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 "'''ethical activism'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->."<ref name="Gibson"/> In accordance with this principle, Eucken gave considerable attention to social and educational problems.<ref name=eb1911/>


He maintained that humans have [[soul]]s, 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 [[spirituality|spiritual]] life, another aspect of his ethical activism and [[meaning of life]].
He maintained that humans have [[soul]]s, 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 [[spirituality|spiritual]] life, another aspect of his [[ethical]] [[activism]] and [[meaning of life]].


==Later life and death==
==Later life and death==
Rudolf Eucken married Irene Passow (1863–1941) in 1882 and had a daughter and two sons. His son [[Walter Eucken]] became a famous founder of [[Ordoliberalism|ordoliberal]] thought in [[Neoliberal economics|economics]]. His son [[Arnold Eucken]] was a chemist and physicist.<ref name="Bio2"/>
Rudolf Eucken married Irene Passow in 1882 and had a daughter and two sons. His son [[Walter Eucken]] became a famous founder of [[Ordoliberalism|ordoliberal]] thought in [[Neoliberal economics|economics]]. His son [[Arnold Eucken]] was a chemist and physicist.<ref name="Bio2"/>


Rudolf Eucken died on 15 September 1926 in [[Jena]] at the age of 80.<ref name="Bio2"/>
Rudolf Eucken died on 15 September 1926 in [[Jena]] at the age of 80.<ref name="Bio2"/>
Line 74: Line 71:
* [https://archive.org/stream/themeaningandval00euckuoft#page/n5/mode/2up ''The Meaning and Value of Life''], A. and C. Black, 1913.
* [https://archive.org/stream/themeaningandval00euckuoft#page/n5/mode/2up ''The Meaning and Value of Life''], A. and C. Black, 1913.
* [https://archive.org/stream/canwestillbechri00euckrich#page/n5/mode/2up ''Can we Still be Christians?''], The Macmillan Company, 1914.
* [https://archive.org/stream/canwestillbechri00euckrich#page/n5/mode/2up ''Can we Still be Christians?''], The Macmillan Company, 1914.
* [https://archive.org/stream/collectedessayso00euckuoft#page/n7/mode/2up ''Collected Essays''], T. Fisher Unwin, 1914.
* [https://archive.org/stream/collectedessayso00euckuoft#page/n7/mode/2up ''Collected Essays''], edited and translated by [[Meyrick Booth]], [[T. Fisher Unwin]], 1914.
* [https://archive.org/details/knowledgelife00euck ''Knowledge and Life''] (translation), G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1914.
* [https://archive.org/details/knowledgelife00euck ''Knowledge and Life''] (translation), G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1914.


Line 92: Line 89:


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Commons inline|Rudolf Eucken}}
* {{Commons-inline|Rudolf Eucken}}
* [http://www.nobel-winners.com/Literature/rudolf_christoph.html Eucken, Rudolf Christoph] at Nobel-winners.com
* [https://www.nobel-winners.com/Literature/rudolf_christoph.html Eucken, Rudolf Christoph] at Nobel-winners.com
* {{Gutenberg author | id=Eucken,+Rudolf | name=Rudolf Eucken}}
* {{Gutenberg author | id=42188| name=Rudolf Eucken}}
* [http://noblib.internet-box.ch/NLEW.php?authorid=9 List of Works]
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Rudolf Christoph Eucken}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Rudolf Christoph Eucken}}
* {{Librivox author}}
*[https://librivox.org/author/14057?primary_key=14057&search_category=author&search_page=1&search_form=get_results Rudolf Christoph Eucken on LibriVox]
* {{PM20|FID=pe/004867}}
* {{PM20}}
* {{Nobelprize}}


{{Nobel Prize in Literature Laureates 1901-1925}}
{{Nobel Prize in Literature Laureates 1901-1925}}
{{1908 Nobel Prize winners}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:German male writers]]
[[Category:German male writers]]
[[Category:German Nobel laureates]]
[[Category:German Nobel laureates]]
[[Category:German philosophers]]
[[Category:19th-century German philosophers]]
[[Category:German spiritualists]]
[[Category:German spiritualists]]
[[Category:Harvard University staff]]
[[Category:Harvard University staff]]
[[Category:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni]]
[[Category:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni]]
⚫
[[Category:Moral philosophers]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Literature]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Literature]]
[[Category:People from Aurich]]
[[Category:People from Aurich]]
[[Category:People from the Kingdom of Hanover]]
[[Category:People from the Kingdom of Hanover]]
[[Category:University of Göttingen alumni]]
[[Category:University of Göttingen alumni]]
[[Category:University of Jena faculty]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Jena]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century German philosophers]]

Latest revision as of 08:24, 20 August 2024

Rudolf Christoph Eucken
Born(1846-01-05)5 January 1846
Aurich, Kingdom of Hanover, Germany
Died14 September 1926(1926-09-14) (aged 80)
Jena, Thuringia, Germany
Alma materGöttingen University
Berlin University
AwardsNobel Prize in Literature (1908)
SchoolContinental philosophy
German idealism
InstitutionsUniversity of Jena
University of Basel
Main interests
Ethics
Notable ideas
Aktivismus (Ethical activism)[1]
The Real
Signature

Rudolf Christoph Eucken (German pronunciation: [ˈʁuːdɔlf ˈʔɔʏkn̩] ⓘ; 5 January 1846 – 14 September 1926[2]) was a German philosopher. He received the 1908 Nobel Prize in Literature "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", after he had been nominated by a member of the Swedish Academy.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Eucken was born on 5 January 1846 in Aurich, then in the Kingdom of Hanover (now Lower Saxony). His father, Ammo Becker Eucken died when he was a child, and he was brought up by his mother, Ida Maria (née Gittermann).[4] He was educated at Aurich, where one of his teachers was the classical philologist and philosopher Ludwig Wilhelm Maximilian Reuter.[5] He studied at Göttingen University (1863–1866), where Hermann Lotze was one of his teachers, and Berlin University.[4] In the latter place, Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg was a professor whose ethical tendencies and historical treatment of philosophy greatly attracted him.

Career

[edit]

Eucken received his PhD in classical philology and ancient history at Göttingen University in 1866 with a dissertation titled De Aristotelis dicendi ratione.[6] However, the inclination of his mind was definitely towards the philosophical side of theology.[5] In 1871, after five years working as a school teacher at Husum, Berlin und Frankfurt, he was appointed Professor of Philosophy at the University of Basel, Switzerland, succeeding another of his former teachers at Göttingen, Gustav Teichmüller, and beating Friedrich Nietzsche in competition for the position. He stayed there until 1874 when he took up a similar position at the University of Jena.[5] He stayed there until he retired in 1920. In 1912–13, Eucken spent half of the year as an exchange professor at Harvard University, and in 1913 he served as a Deem lecturer at New York University.[7][8] During World War I, Eucken, like many of his academic colleagues, took a strong line in favour of the causes with which his country had associated itself.[4][9]

Birthplace of Rudolf Eucken in Aurich, Osterstraße 27 (September 2015)

Ethical activism

[edit]

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 connection 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 "ethical activism."[1] In accordance with this principle, Eucken gave considerable attention to social and educational problems.[5]

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 and meaning of life.

Later life and death

[edit]

Rudolf Eucken married Irene Passow in 1882 and had a daughter and two sons. His son Walter Eucken became a famous founder of ordoliberal thought in economics. His son Arnold Eucken was a chemist and physicist.[4]

Rudolf Eucken died on 15 September 1926 in Jena at the age of 80.[4]

Major works

[edit]

He was a prolific writer; his best-known works are:

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:

He delivered lectures in England in 1911 and spent six months lecturing at Harvard University and elsewhere in the United States in 1912–1913.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b W. R. Boyce Gibson, Rudolf Eucken's Philosophy of Life, Kessinger Publishing, 2004, p. 170.
  2. ^ "Rudolf Eucken". Rudolf Eucken Facts. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  3. ^ nobelprize.org
  4. ^ a b c d e "Biografie Rudolf Christoph Eucken (German)". Bayerische Nationalbibliothek. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eucken, Rudolf Christoph". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 878.
  6. ^ The dissertation is available online at Internet Archive.
  7. ^ University, Harvard (1912). Harvard University Catalogue. The University.
  8. ^ "Rudolf Eucken - Biographical". www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  9. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Eucken, Rudolf Christoph" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 31 (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company. pp. 13–14.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
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