Two tendencies have been decisively shaping philosophical thought since the 1990s, giving the philosophy of our generation its distinctive character: an idealistic and an absolutist one. These two have not manifested in the same way everywhere. At times, they have gone hand in hand, while at other times they have come into sharp conflict. However, they share a common starting point. Both are reactions against philosophical moods that had been dominant in the previous generation. "Truth and Reality," the first volume of Heinrich Maier's (1867 - 1933) Philosophy of Reality, deals with the philosophical situation and its task. Maier addresses both the philosophical tendencies and the idealistic movement. The author, a recognized German philosopher, describes the nature of judgment.