In intellectual history, Zionist thinking was shaped by the philosophy of life that dominated many intellectuals between the turn of the century and the late 1920s. Zionism and the philosophy of life were connected not only by the fact that they were a response to a generally stated cultural crisis; They also had in common that some key writings of the philosophy of life saw themselves as a form of modern gnosis. Based on the writings of the philosopher Ludwig Klages (1872–1956) and the Jewish thinkers Theodor Lessing (1872–1933) and Jakob Klatzkin (1882–1948) Yotam Hotam places Zionism in the historical and philosophical context and pursues traces of the philosophy of life.