How did Rudolf Hermann Lotze describe the world ground?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Idealism F.H. Bradley, detail of a portrait by R.G. Eves, 1924; in the collection of Merton College, Oxford.

Rudolf Hermann Lotze, a key figure in the development of Theistic Idealism, described the world ground as a supreme being that establishes a natural order for the universe.1

While Lotze initially approached physical processes from a mechanistic perspective, his mature philosophy posited that the universe is governed by this supreme entity. His work, particularly in Mikrokosmos and Metaphysik, sought to reconcile the physical and psychic sciences by emphasizing that existence is fundamentally tied to a divine, value-oriented foundation. By bridging classical German philosophy with later idealistic thought, Lotze argued that the mechanical laws observed in nature are ultimately expressions of this higher, purposeful reality.1