“In this contribution, in addition to an overview of his work, it is shown, contrary to what is often argued, that Eucken’s achievement was not to have finally introduced ‘theory’ into German economics, but that his approach aimed at a synthesis of ‘theory’ and ‘history’ that took up many impulses of the Historical School. In addition to references to the intellectual-historical background of his thought and his non-utilitarian conception of man, his radical approach to economic policy – the permanent implementation of a decentralized market economy – is emphasized and the topicality of a genuinely ordoliberal position is discussed.” (H. Peukert)