born Aug. 22, 1874, Munich, Ger.
died May 19, 1928, Frankfurt am Main
German philosopher.
He is remembered primarily for his contributions to phenomenology . His Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Values (191316) contains a detailed critique of the ethics of Immanuel Kant . In Man's Place in the Universe (1928), he advanced a rather grandiose metaphysical doctrine with affinities to American pragmatism : humanity, God, and world are one cosmic process, with two "poles," spirit and "life-urge"; the ideas of spirit become real through human life and history.