U.S. Idealist philosopher and the founding president (1902) of the American Philosophical Association.

After studying in Leipzig and Berlin he obtained his Ph.D. (1892) at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., where he had begun teaching in 1889. He remained at Cornell until his death, acting also as American editor of Kantstudien (1896–1924) and editor in chief of Philosophical Review (1902–24). He constantly defended Idealistic, or speculative, philosophy against Pragmatism, neo-Realism, Materialism, and Berkeleian immaterialism.