sent to munich at the age of fifteen for his "abitur", hildebrand enrolled at the university of munich two years later, where he joined a circle of students who first followed the philosopher theodor lipps but soon were swayed by the teachings of edmund husserl. through this circle he came to know max scheler. because of scheler's writings hildebrand converted to catholicism in 1914. in 1909 he attended the university of göttingen, where he completed his doctorate in philosophy under husserl and adolf reinach, whom he later credited with shaping his own philosophical system.