
audiobook
The author surveys how humanity has defined life's meaning, from ancient religious doctrines to modern scientific and social theories. He critiques the old religious system, idealist thought, and newer currents such as naturalism, socialism, and aesthetic individualism, exposing their internal tensions. Each framework offers insight but ultimately fails to provide a fully coherent life‑view. Thus he prepares a fresh proposal that seeks to reconcile material and spiritual dimensions of human experience.
His new philosophy sees humanity as a natural being capable of rising beyond mere biology, cultivating an independent spiritual life grounded in freedom and truth. He sketches how this ascent could reshape personal conduct, education, art, and social structures into a more integrated, purposeful way of living. Readers wrestling with questions of purpose, morality, and society will find a clear, thought‑provoking guide that challenges assumptions without requiring prior expertise.
Language
en
Duration
~13 hours (805K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Marius Masi, Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Release date
2013-09-14
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1846–1926
Best known as the German philosopher who won the 1908 Nobel Prize in Literature, he wrote with unusual energy about ethics, religion, and the search for a meaningful life. His books helped bring philosophical idealism to a broad reading public.
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