Ethics and Modern Thought a Theory of Their Relations the Deems Lectures

by Rudolf Christoph Eucken, Margaret Von Seydewitz, G.P. Putnam's Sons (Creator)

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Genres: Nobel Prize, Philosophy, Nonfiction

134 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

Rudolf Christoph Eucken (German: [ˈɔʏkn̩]; 5 January 1846 – 15 September 1926) was a 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".

Reviews

[Czarny Pies · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Ethics and Modern Thought", which is a collection of lectures given at New York University in 1913 by Rudolph Eucken the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature of 1908, is one the great works of ethical philosophy of the 20th century. For its clarity and eloquent argument that life should be lived in an ethically religious manner, it reminds one of "Éthique et Infini" by Emmanuel Levinas.

In Lecture 1, "The Ethical Problem in the Present Time" Eucken observes that morality is under attack. He then exposes the four categories of morality competing for adherents in 1913:

1. Religious Morality. (As practiced by Christians)
2. The Morality of Reason. (The morality of the philosophic tradition beginning with the Stoics and continuing through to Kant and Fichte)
3. The Morality of Work (As described by Eucken this appears to be a nietzschean morality of struggle but which he links to Francis Bacon.)
4. Social Morality which he equates with utilitarianism.

Eucken states clearly: "The most effectual kind of morality is still the religious one—for us, the morality associated with Christianity, the religion of ethical redemption." (p. 8) In practice the morality of reason has always worked in support of religious morality as it recognizes that man has a soul that can only be made happy by the pursuit of the idea. The morality of work and social morality which are both new are at war with the two older moralities in that they deny the existence of a human soul. Because they see no value in the "inner person" they fail to make anyone happy.

In Lecture 2. "The Ethical Principle", Eucken continues his attack on the Morality of Work and Social Morality. He argues that they attach value only to the external person. They esteem actions that promote community welfare and historical progress but refuse to admit that the soul of the individual exists. Thus the person is left incomplete. Spirituality is needed to unite the inner and outer person.

In Lecture 3, the "Defence of the Ethical principle", Eucken describes the Morality of Work as being egotistical. It encourages man to work only for his own interests separating him from
other men and God. Denying the existence of a soul it is "nothing less than inner annihilation of life".(p. 52).

In Lecture 4, "The evolution of the ethical principle" Eucken states that morality should never be a mere system of laws and regulations. "Morality must consequently be productive in character, not merely regulative." (p. 74)

In this Lecture, Eucken also cautions against focussing exclusively on one's soul and failing to contribute to the welfare of the community: "Religious morality in former times often directed man's endeavour too much towards a world of faith and hope beyond our world, and was inclined to neglect earthly matters as being of secondary importance." (p. 85)


In Lecture 5, "Morality and Religion" Eucken states that spiritual life is the centre of reality. Religion is needed to sustain man through periods when the external world is in crisis. Social morality which is utilitarian in nature can lead to excessive despair in times of war, plague or other disasters. Only spirituality or religion can offer hope when the physical reality is bad.

In Lecture 6, "The present status of morality" Eucken observes that the contemporary weakening of
religious conviction had been unfavourable to morality. The important thing in Eucken's view were that prosperity and morality where cyclical in nature. After periods of decline, they would inevitably recover.

Eucken stresses that the decline in morality did not originate from man but from pressures from the outside world. With effort and faith in God things would be made right: "These are problems which do not originate in ourselves, but which are forced upon us by the movement of history. But we shall also need to put forth our uttermost strength, and to quicken all our latent spiritual forces; we must grasp our life as a whole, must acknowledge its high aims with all our heart and soul, and must find our real self in these ideals. Only thus can we gain the sense of inner necessity which alone can lead us onward." (p. 126)

"Ethics and Modern Thought" is a great work whose appeal is inevitably greatest to the practicing Christian. Eucken's view of the world, however, was hardly typical for that of the majority of the winners of the Nobel Prize for literature.

[Bala · Rating 2 out of 5]

An outdated collection of essays. Clear, yet elucidating almost nothing. Eucken may have deserved his Nobel Prize; but just as deserved seems to be the worldly abandon of Eucken.

[ROLLAND Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am trying to read at least one book written by each of the authors who won the Nobel in literature.
This is how I ended up reading this book.

It is not really a book, but rather a collection of notes from university lectures.
Eucken identifies four types of morality:

Religious Morality (especifically connected to Christianity)
Morality of Reason or of immanent idealism
Morality of Work (arises from work directed towards an objective, for instance reaching a goal in science or industry)
Social Morality (common responsibility and solidarity)

While the arguments are well articulated, I found this philosophy quite outdated.
Nothing groundbreaking here.

[علي زهير · Rating 3 out of 5]

المؤلف فيلسوف ألماني- المذهب المثالي-التيار الروحاني، حصل على جائزة نوبل في الآداب 1908م، تتلخص فلسفته في الحياة الروحية القائمة على الأخلاق.

اشتهرت فلسفته خلال حياته، واضمحلّت بعدها على خلاف فلسفات أخرى من فلاسفة كانوا معاصرين له، وأرجع البعض هذا الاضمحلال إلى موقفه الذي أعلنه متضامنًا مع ألمانيا في الحرب العالمية الأولى.

من عبارات الكتاب:

لم تعد الأخلاق مسألة يقين لا جدال فيه؛ حيث انجرفت نحو موجة الانحلال.

عند تأدية الفعل تحت ضغط إجبار خارجي أو عادة مُنجزة من غير تفكير، فإنه يفقد طابعه الأخلاقي.

إذا كانت حياتنا مجرد جزء من آلية طبيعية، فإنها بالضرورة ستتوقف عن كونها حياتنا الخاصة.

لا يمكن للإنجاز الفني أو الفكري أن يمنع التراجع السريع للحياة الروحية وتدهورها.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[William Romsek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read another book by a Nobel-winning philosopher (Henri Bergson - 1927) I was a bit leary of taking on another philosophically brilliant work that falls short on literary merit. Eucken's work here was a pleasant surprise with its clear, readable accessibility. Lacking a Nobel award for Philosophy, I can accept Eucken's Nobel prize for Literature.

[S Cearley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming arguments, at best.

[Frida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mycket som är tänkvärt och jag tror att han har rätt i en del av sin idealistiska framställning, men jag tror inte att det fungerar i praktiken. Maktmissbruk kommer alltid att finnas och det blir värre i de lägen när en stor massa kan ledas i blindo som ofta har skett inom religionen.