The Philosophy of Nicolai Hartmann with Predrag Cicovacki

In this conversation with James Ellis for the Hermitix Podcast, I discuss the life and philosophy of Nicolai Hartmann, one of the most systematic yet unjustly neglected thinkers of the twentieth century. Moving from ontology and the layered structure of reality to values, personality, religion, and aesthetics, we consider Hartmann’s attempt to unite sober realism with fidelity to humanity’s highest aspirations—and his enduring conviction that a meaningful life requires us to keep one foot on the ground and the other in the clouds.