Rudolph Eucken : a philosophy of life

Jones outlines Rudolf Eucken's response to the problem of life, presenting a critique of abstract or merely theoretical philosophies and arguing for an active spiritual life rooted in ethical purpose. He traces Eucken's movement from historical and critical studies to a constructive doctrine that emphasizes personal freedom, the development of personality, and the relation between the personal and the universal. Religion is treated as an absolute reality rather than merely a historical phenomenon, and the work surveys life's basis and ideal, the ascent to moral autonomy, and a measured critical appraisal.