Zeitgeist facts for kids

The word Zeitgeist (say: ZITE-gyst) comes from German philosophy. It means "spirit of the age" or "spirit of the times." Think of it as an invisible force or feeling that shapes what is popular, important, or normal during a certain period in history.

This idea is often linked to a philosopher named Georg W. F. Hegel. He also talked about Volksgeist (national spirit) and Weltgeist (world-spirit). However, the word Zeitgeist was used and made popular by other thinkers like Herder and Goethe even before Hegel. Other philosophers who thought about similar ideas include Spencer and Voltaire.

Today, people sometimes use Zeitgeist in a more everyday way. It can mean the popular fashions or trends that are considered cool or acceptable at a certain time. For example, in architecture, the style of buildings often shows the Zeitgeist of the era they were built.

Leaders and the Spirit of the Times

Some people wonder if great leaders are born with special traits, or if the times they live in help create them.

Great Leaders: Born or Made?

The idea of Zeitgeist helps us understand leadership. One idea is called the Great Man theory. This theory says that history is shaped by the actions of heroes and very smart people. Thinkers like Thomas Carlyle believed that leaders are special individuals who are born with the qualities needed to be powerful.

However, Hegel saw these "great men" differently. He thought they were like a "world-soul on horseback," meaning they were a perfect example of the Weltgeist (world-spirit) of their time. So, for Hegel, even great leaders were part of the spirit of their age.

Leo Tolstoy, a famous writer, disagreed with the Great Man theory. He believed that leaders, like many other things, are a product of the Zeitgeist. This means that the social conditions and events of the time help create who becomes a leader.

How Psychology Explains Leadership

In psychology, there are two main ways to look at leadership:

• Trait Approach: This is like the Great Man theory. It says that leaders have certain personality traits that make them good at leading. Some people are just born to lead, while others are born to follow.
• Situationist Approach: This is similar to the Zeitgeist idea. It says that social situations and the environment create leaders. People become leaders because of the needs and influences of their society.

Many experts now combine these two ideas. They believe that leadership comes from a mix of a person's traits and the situation they are in. Social psychologist Kurt Lewin explained this with a simple equation: B = f(P, E). This means that your behavior (B) is a function (f) of your personality (P) and your environment (E).

Art and the Spirit of the Times

Hegel also believed that art always shows the culture of the time it was made. An artist is a part of their time, so their art will naturally reflect that culture.

He thought that in the modern world, it was hard to create art like the ancient Greeks. He felt that classical art came from a "free and ethical culture" that focused more on the philosophy of art itself, rather than just being a mirror of the social world, or Zeitgeist, where the artist lived.

When we talk about Zeitgeist in art, we mean the popular intellectual or artistic fashion or fad of a period. Studies have looked at how the Zeitgeist affects how we judge creative works. For example, in a study of 15,618 classical music themes, both the unique qualities of a song and how it fit with the Zeitgeist of its time affected its popularity.

Images for kids

• De-Zeitgeist.ogg

  The sound of the word "Zeitgeist"

See also

• Geist
  • Volksgeist "national spirit"
  • Weltgeist "world-spirit"
• Geisteswissenschaft
• Invisible hand
• Multiple discovery
• Era
• Paradigm
• Sociocultural system
• World history (field)