THE PERSONAL AND THE UNIVERSAL In the last chapter the ascent of the human being from serfdom to freedom and personality was traced.

In doing so it was necessary to make frequent reference to the Universal Spiritual Life.
When we turn to consider the characteristics of the Universal Spiritual Life, many problems present themselves.

How can we reconcile freedom and personality with the existence of an Absolute?
What is the nature of this Absolute, and in what way is the human related to it?
What place should religion play in the life of the spiritual personality?
These are, of course, some of the greatest and most difficult problems that ever perplexed the mind of man, and we can only deal briefly with Eucken's contribution to their solution.
Can a man choose the highest?
This is the form in which Eucken would state the problem of freedom.

His answer, as already seen, is an affirmative one.

The personality chooses the spiritual life, and continually reaffirms the decision.