Then & Now: Philosophy, History & Politics
Why German History is Different
Nov 17, 2023
Exploring the influence of Germany on history, from Enlightenment to human behavior today. Germany's response to the Enlightenment, role of German language and books, and significance of forests. The inspiration of Grimm's fairy tales, resistance against Romans, and idealization of folk poetry. The work of an early anthropologist studying world culture and the concept of constructing the world through reason. Delving into the origins and teachings of romanticism and its influence today.
27:09
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Quick takeaways
- German philosophers reacted to the overbearing and condescending Enlightenment by focusing on the immediate, everyday, emotions, and spirituality.
- The emphasis on language, folklore, and landscape in Germany led to a distinctive critique, culture, and philosophy.
Deep dives
The Emergence of German Thinkers and Philosophies
Germany gave birth to influential thinkers such as Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Marx, which shaped modern ideas and problems. Germany's critical culture emerged as a reaction to dominant British and French cultures during the Enlightenment. German thinkers characterized the Enlightenment as overbearing and condescending, prompting a distinctive German response. German philosophers began focusing on the immediate and the self, exploring the everyday, emotions, sentiment, and spirituality. They looked to German language, landscape, and folklore, seeking to capture the vitality of ordinary life rather than the distant and abstract ideas of the Enlightenment.
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