German philosophy Facts for Kids

German philosophy is all about the ideas and thoughts of philosophers who wrote in German or were from Germany. It began a long time ago in the 1600s, during a period called the Age of Enlightenment. Famous thinkers like Gottfried Leibniz, Immanuel Kant, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel were part of this movement. Later, important philosophers like Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche also contributed to German philosophy.

Early German Philosophy: The 1600s
The Enlightenment and Critical Thinking: The 1700s
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Early German Philosophy: The 1600s

In the 1600s, a German thinker named Gottfried Leibniz was very important. He was a philosopher and a mathematician. Leibniz believed that we gain knowledge mostly through reason and thinking, not just by what we see or experience. His ideas were later developed further by his student, Christian Wolff.

The Enlightenment and Critical Thinking: The 1700s

The 1700s brought new ways of thinking, especially during the Enlightenment. A new type of philosophy, called "critical philosophy," became popular in Germany. It mixed ideas from French and Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Scottish philosopher David Hume. It also combined two main ways of thinking: rationalism (knowledge from reason) and empiricism (knowledge from experience).

The most famous founder of this school was Immanuel Kant. He wrote three very important books, which he called "critiques." His most groundbreaking book was Critique of Pure Reason (published in 1781). The other two were Critique of Practical Reason and Critique of Judgement.

Two of Kant's followers, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Johann Gottlieb Fichte, felt that Kant's ideas could be improved. They tried to build on his work. Another major philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, developed his own unique style of German idealism. Hegel's books are known for being quite challenging to read. However, his ideas had a huge impact on many people, both those who agreed with him and those who disagreed.