Rudolf Eucken, his life, work, and travels

Rudolf Eucken, His Life, Work, And Travels - is a book, which was published in 1921, written by Rudolf Eucken himself and translated by Joseph McCabe. Rudolf Christoph Eucken was a German writer and philosopher. In 1908 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "For his serious search for truth, the pervasive power of thought, broad outlook, liveliness and persuasiveness with which he defended and developed idealist philosophy." Volumes of memoirs have become commonplace in modern times. The mighty political and spiritual upheavals we are witnessing prompt us to reflect and introspect. Therefore, the author asked himself whether the memories he recorded in this book were of any interest to the general public, or whether it would be better to limit them to a narrow circle of his personal acquaintances. Regarding the first alternative, the author has nothing to say about great achievements and he did not participate in important political movements; but he was able to study the inner course of life and exercise some useful influence on it. Rudolf Eucken experienced a remarkable spiritual change in the state of Germany. In his youth, living conditions were much simpler and calmer than later. Life flowed in narrower channels. This gigantic progress of industry and manufacture had not yet taken place; there were no large cities with crowded masses of people; life was not dominated by workshops, and she was not completely absorbed in hectic industrial activity. This change has occurred mainly since the 70s of the 19th century. Every person who has survived the former state of things must, with all recognition of what has been achieved, be aware of the limitations and dangers of the new development. He must do everything possible to counteract these dangers and uphold the independent value of life itself. The aim of Rudolf Eucken has always been to work in this sense. His memoirs tell, first of all, about the struggle against the externalization of life. This externalization, however, is not the fault or fault of one particular nation; every nation has it, and every nation needs radical change. The problems associated with this change in shape, with the personal features he necessarily gave them, were the background of his life, and this can give some significance to a story that might otherwise seem unimportant. Every person who shares the conviction of the need for spiritual reform will follow with kind sympathy the modest efforts described in the memoirs of Rudolf Eucken. It's not just human impressions. They contain the experience and aims not only of the German people, but of the entire race. Fortunately, he had the opportunity to observe these experiences from an impartial point of view, and he hoped that this was reflected in his account of them.