Richard David Precht facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard David Precht
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Precht in 2015
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| Born | 8 December 1964 |
| Education | University of Cologne |
| Awards | See Awards |
| Era | 21st-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
Richard David Precht (born 8 December 1964) is a famous German philosopher and writer. He writes popular books about big ideas in philosophy. He also hosts his own TV show called "Precht" on the ZDF channel.
From 2011 to 2023, he was a special professor of philosophy at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. He is also a special professor of philosophy and art at the Hanns Eisler University of Music in Berlin. After his book Wer bin ich – und wenn ja, wie viele? became a huge hit, many of his books became bestsellers. These books are about philosophy or important social topics.
Contents
Richard David Precht's Life Story
Richard David Precht was born and grew up in Solingen, Germany. His father was born in 1933, and his mother in 1938. After finishing high school at Gymnasium Schwertstraße, Precht did his alternative service. This means he worked for the community instead of joining the army.
Education and Early Career
Later, he studied philosophy, German language, and art history. He went to the University of Cologne. In 1994, he earned his doctorate degree in German studies. This is a very high university degree. From 1991 to 1995, he worked as a research assistant. He helped with a project about how our minds work.
In 1997, Precht was a special fellow at the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Two years later, he received a scholarship from the Heinz-Kühn-Foundation. In 2000 and 2001, he was a fellow at the European College of Journalism. In 2001, he won an award for his writing about medical science.
Writing for Newspapers and TV
Precht has written many articles for German newspapers and magazines. These articles are called essays. From 2002 to 2004, he wrote a regular column for a magazine called Literaturen. A column is a repeating article on a certain topic. From 2005 to 2008, he hosted a radio show called Tageszeichen for WDR.
Precht has one son and three stepchildren.
Richard David Precht's Books
Precht has written many successful books. These include both stories (fiction) and factual books (non-fiction).
His PhD Book
Precht's PhD book from 1994 was called "Die gleitende Logik der Seele." It was about a book by Robert Musil. Precht looked closely at how ideas and structures work in Musil's story.
Story Books by Precht
Das Schiff im Noor (1999)
In 1999, Precht wrote a detective story with his brother. It was called Das Schiff im Noor. The story takes place in 1985 on a Danish island. It is about a sunken ship and an old murder. The book also explores bigger ideas, like how different parts of life connect. A famous philosopher even appears as a character! The book was re-released in 2009 with a new title.
Die Kosmonauten (2002)
His 2002 novel, Die Kosmonauten, is a love story. It follows Georg and Rosalie in their late twenties. They meet in Cologne and move to Berlin after Germany reunited. They live a free, artistic life at first. But Rosalie slowly changes her mind. She falls in love with someone else and wants a more normal life. At the end, their friend Leonhard dies in an accident. The book also tells the sad story of Sergei Krikalev. He was the last cosmonaut of the Soviet Union.
Lenin kam nur bis zum Lüdenscheid (2005)
In 2005, Precht wrote a book about his own life. It is called Lenin kam nur bis zum Lüdenscheid. In this book, he remembers his childhood in the 1970s. He grew up in a family that had left-wing political views. He also talks about big world events in Germany during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. He describes the political ideas and daily life of that time. Many people liked this book. It was even made into a movie in 2008.
Philosophy Books by Precht
Noahs Erbe (1997)
Precht's book Noahs Erbe came out in 1997. It asks important questions about how humans treat animals. It also looks at the effects of this on society. Precht suggests we should change how we treat animals. He calls this an "ethic of not knowing." This means we should be careful because we don't fully understand animals.
Wer bin ich – und wenn ja, wie viele? (2007)
This is Precht's most famous book. It was first meant to be a simple introduction to philosophy for young people. The English title is "Who am I – and if so, how many?". It came out in 2007. The book explains philosophy by connecting it to brain research, psychology, and animal behavior. It asks big questions like: What can I know? What should I do? What can I hope for?
A famous German writer, Elke Heidenreich, recommended the book. After that, it became number one on the Spiegel bestseller list. Over 1,000,000 copies were sold. It was translated into 32 languages! It was the most successful non-fiction hardcover book of 2008 in Germany.
Die Kunst kein Egoist zu sein (2010)
This book, "The Art of Not Being an Egoist," was published in 2010. It has three parts: "good and evil," "wanting and doing," and "morality and society." Precht explores what makes us moral. He says that people want to feel good about themselves and act well. But he also looks at how people trick themselves. They might ignore problems or pretend they are not responsible. In the last part, he thinks about how this affects our society today. He suggests that citizens should be more involved. He also wants new ways for people to take part in democracy.
Warum gibt es alles und nicht nichts? (2011)
"Why is there everything and not nothing?" This book makes big philosophy questions easy to understand. It is good for both kids and adults. Precht visits famous places in Berlin with his son Oskar. As they explore the city, they talk about important topics. These include ethics (what is right and wrong), aesthetics (what is beautiful), and consciousness (being aware). Goldmann Verlag published this book in 2011.
Anna, die Schule und der liebe Gott (2013)
Another popular book by Precht is "Anna, the School, and Dear God." It was published in 2013 by Goldmann Verlag. In this book, Precht shares his ideas about the German school system. He criticizes some parts of it.
Publishing Work
Since December 2010, Precht has helped publish the magazine agora42. He believes it is a problem that economists don't care much about philosophy. And philosophers don't care much about economics.
Awards
- 2011: IQ Award
