This is a list of

German-language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

philosophers. The following

individuals An individual is that which exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of being an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) of being a person unique from other people and possessing one's own need ...

have written

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Som ...

texts in the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

. Many are categorized as

German philosophers German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law ** ...

Austrian philosophers Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

, but some are neither

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

nor

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n by

ethnicity An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

nationality Nationality is a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject, a ''national'', of a sovereign state. It affords the state jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is th ...

. Each one, however, satisfies at least one of the following criteria: # s/he has been identified as a philosopher in any reputable, reliable encyclopedic/scholarly publication ''(e.g. MacMillan, Stanford, Routledge, Oxford, Metzler.)'' # s/he has written multiple articles published in reputable, reliable journals of philosophy and/or written books that were reviewed in such journals. Reference works such as the following discuss the lives and summarize the works of notable philosophers: *(Cambridge) ''The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy'', (Second Edition). Cambridge University Press; 1999. *(Macmillan) Macmillan's ''Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', 1st edition (Paul Edwards, chief editor), 1973. **(Macmillan2) 2nd edition (Donald M. Borchert, chief editor), 2006, *(Metzler) ''Metzler Philosophen Lexikon: von den Vorsokratikern bis zu den Neuen Philosophen'', 3rd ed., Bernd Lutz (Stuttgart: Metzler, 2003). *(Oxford 1995) ''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy''. Oxford University Press, 1995, . **(Oxford 2005) 2005, *(Routledge 1998) ''

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy The ''Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' is an encyclopedia of philosophy edited by Edward Craig that was first published by Routledge in 1998 (). Originally published in both 10 volumes of print and as a CD-ROM, in 2002 it was made availa ...

''. Routledge, 1998, . **(Routledge 2000) ''Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy''. Routledge, 2000, *(Stanford) Peer-reviewed online ''

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (''SEP'') combines an online encyclopedia of philosophy with peer-reviewed publication of original papers in philosophy, freely accessible to Internet users. It is maintained by Stanford University. E ...

''. **(Sassen) Brigitte Sassen.
18th Century German Philosophy Prior to Kant
in ''

A

: Thomas Abbt (1738–1766) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Theodor Adorno Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blu ...

(1903–1969) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' : Magdalena Aebi (1898–1980) :

Günther Anders Günther Anders (born Günther Siegmund Stern, 12 July 1902 – 17 December 1992) was a German-Austrian Jewish émigré, philosopher, essayist and journalist. Trained in the phenomenological tradition, he developed a philosophical anthropolog ...

(1902–1992) :

Karl-Otto Apel Karl-Otto Apel (; 15 March 1922 – 15 May 2017) was a German philosopher and Professor Emeritus at the University of Frankfurt am Main. He specialized on the philosophy of language and was thus considered a communication theorist. He developed ...

(1922–2017) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Hannah Arendt Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. Arendt was bor ...

(1906–1975) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Richard Avenarius Richard Ludwig Heinrich Avenarius (19 November 1843 – 18 August 1896) was a German-Swiss philosopher. He formulated the radical positivist doctrine of "empirical criticism" or empirio-criticism. Life Avenarius attended the Nicolaischule in Le ...

(1843–1896) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)''

B

Franz Xaver von Baader Franz von Baader (27 March 1765 – 23 May 1841), born Benedikt Franz Xaver Baader, was a German Catholic philosopher, theologian, physician, and mining engineer. Resisting the empiricism of his day, he denounced most Western philosophy ...

(1765–1841) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Johann Jakob Bachofen Johann Jakob Bachofen (22 December 1815 – 25 November 1887) was a Swiss antiquarian, jurist, philologist, anthropologist, and professor for Roman law at the University of Basel from 1841 to 1845. Bachofen is most often connected with his ...

(1815–1887) ''(Macmillan2)'' : Johann Bernhard Basedow (1723–1790) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Bruno Bauer Bruno Bauer (; 6 September 180913 April 1882) was a German philosopher and theologian. As a student of G. W. F. Hegel, Bauer was a radical Rationalist in philosophy, politics and Biblical criticism. Bauer investigated the sources of the New Te ...

(1809–1882) ''(Oxford 1995)'' : Jakob Sigismund Beck (1761–1840) ''(Macmillan2)'' : Friedrich Eduard Beneke (1798–1854) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2)'' :

Walter Benjamin Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin (; ; 15 July 1892 – 26 September 1940) was a German Jewish philosopher, cultural critic and essayist. An eclectic thinker, combining elements of German idealism, Romanticism, Western Marxism, and Jewi ...

(1892–1940) ''(Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Ernst Bloch Ernst Simon Bloch (; July 8, 1885 – August 4, 1977; pseudonyms: Karl Jahraus, Jakob Knerz) was a German Marxist philosopher. Bloch was influenced by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Karl Marx, as well as by apocalyptic and religious thinkers ...

(1885–1977) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' :

Hans Blumenberg Hans Blumenberg (born 13 July 1920, Lübeck – 28 March 1996, Altenberge) was a German philosopher and intellectual historian. He studied philosophy, German studies and the classics (1939–47, interrupted by World War II) and is considered to b ...

(1920–1996) ''(Metzler)'' :

Ludwig Boltzmann Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann (; 20 February 1844 – 5 September 1906) was an Austrian physicist and philosopher. His greatest achievements were the development of statistical mechanics, and the statistical explanation of the second law of thermod ...

(1844–1906) ''(Oxford 1995)'' : Bernhard Bolzano (1781–1848) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Franz Brentano Franz Clemens Honoratus Hermann Josef Brentano (; ; 16 January 1838 – 17 March 1917) was an influential German philosopher, psychologist, and former Catholic priest (withdrawn in 1873 due to the definition of papal infallibility in matters of ...

(1838–1907) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Martin Buber Martin Buber ( he, מרטין בובר; german: Martin Buber; yi, מארטין בובער; February 8, 1878 – June 13, 1965) was an Austrian Jewish and Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism ...

(1878–1965) ''(Cambridge; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000; Stanford)'' :

Ludwig Büchner Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig Büchner (29 March 1824 – 30 April 1899) was a German philosopher, physiologist and physician who became one of the exponents of 19th-century scientific materialism. Biography Büchner was born at Darmstadt on 29 ...

(1824–1899) ''(Macmillan; Routledge 2000)''

C

Rudolf Carnap Rudolf Carnap (; ; 18 May 1891 – 14 September 1970) was a German-language philosopher who was active in Europe before 1935 and in the United States thereafter. He was a major member of the Vienna Circle and an advocate of logical positivism. ...

(1891–1970) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Ernst Cassirer Ernst Alfred Cassirer ( , ; July 28, 1874 – April 13, 1945) was a German philosopher. Trained within the Neo-Kantian Marburg School, he initially followed his mentor Hermann Cohen in attempting to supply an idealistic philosophy of science. ...

(1874–1945) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Hermann Cohen Hermann Cohen (4 July 1842 – 4 April 1918) was a German Jewish philosopher, one of the founders of the Marburg school of neo-Kantianism, and he is often held to be "probably the most important Jewish philosopher of the nineteenth cent ...

(1842–1918) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Christian August Crusius Christian August Crusius (10 January 1715 – 18 October 1775) was a German philosopher and Protestant theologian. Biography Crusius was born in Leuna in the Electorate of Saxony. He was educated at the University of Leipzig, and became ...

(1715–1775) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' :

Heinrich Czolbe Heinrich Adam Friedrich Czolbe (30 December 1819, Katzke bei Danzig (now, a village of Kaczki; pl) - 19 February 1873, Königsberg) was a physician and materialist philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philoso ...

(1819–1873) ''(Cambridge)''

D

Max Dessoir Maximilian Dessoir (8 February 1867 – 19 July 1947) was a German philosopher, psychologist and theorist of aesthetics. Career Dessoir was born in Berlin, into a German Jewish family, his parents being Ludwig Dessoir (1810-1874), "Germany's m ...

(1867–1947) ''(Macmillan)'' : Wilhelm Dilthey (1833–1911) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Eugen Dühring Eugen Karl Dühring (12 January 1833, Berlin21 September 1921, Nowawes in modern-day Potsdam-Babelsberg) was a German philosopher, positivist, economist, and socialist who was a strong critic of Marxism. Life and works Dühring was born in B ...

(1833–1921) ''(Routledge 2000)''

E

Johann Augustus Eberhard Johann Augustus Eberhard (August 31, 1739January 6, 1809) was a German theologian and "popular philosopher". Life and career Eberhard was born at Halberstadt in the Principality of Halberstadt, where his father was a school teacher and the singin ...

(1739–1809) ''(Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' :

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

(1879–1955) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels"
'' Gustav Fechner Gustav Theodor Fechner (; ; 19 April 1801 – 18 November 1887) was a German physicist, philosopher, and experimental psychologist. A pioneer in experimental psychology and founder of psychophysics (techniques for measuring the mind), he inspir ...

(1801–1887) ''(Cambridge)'' : Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–1872) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Johann Gottlieb Fichte Johann Gottlieb Fichte (; ; 19 May 1762 – 29 January 1814) was a German philosopher who became a founding figure of the philosophical movement known as German idealism, which developed from the theoretical and ethical writings of Immanuel Ka ...

(1762–1814) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Gottlob Frege Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege (; ; 8 November 1848 – 26 July 1925) was a German philosopher, logician, and mathematician. He was a mathematics professor at the University of Jena, and is understood by many to be the father of analytic ph ...

(1848–1925) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Jakob Friedrich Fries Jakob Friedrich Fries (; 23 August 1773 – 10 August 1843) was a German post-Kantian Terry Pinkard, ''German Philosophy 1760-1860: The Legacy of Idealism'', Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. 199–212. philosopher and mathematician. Biog ...

(1773–1843) ''(Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)''

G

Hans-Georg Gadamer Hans-Georg Gadamer (; ; February 11, 1900 – March 13, 2002) was a German philosopher of the continental tradition, best known for his 1960 '' magnum opus'', '' Truth and Method'' (''Wahrheit und Methode''), on hermeneutics. Life Famil ...

(1900–2002) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Arnold Gehlen Arnold Gehlen (29 January 1904 in Leipzig, German Empire – 30 January 1976 in Hamburg, West Germany) was an influential conservative German philosopher, sociologist, and anthropologist. Biography Gehlen's major influences while studyi ...

(1904–1976) ''(Metzler)'' :

Kurt Gödel Kurt Friedrich Gödel ( , ; April 28, 1906 – January 14, 1978) was a logician, mathematician, and philosopher. Considered along with Aristotle and Gottlob Frege to be one of the most significant logicians in history, Gödel had an imm ...

(1906–1978) ''(Oxford 1995)'' :

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

(1749–1832) :

Johann Christoph Gottsched Johann Christoph Gottsched (2 February 1700 – 12 December 1766) was a German philosopher, author and critic of the Enlightenment. Biography Early life He was born at Juditten (Mendeleyevo) near Königsberg (Kaliningrad), Brandenburg-Prus ...

(1700–1766) ''(Macmillan2; Sassen)''

H

Jürgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas (, ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere. Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas's ...

(born 1929) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' :

Ernst Haeckel Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new s ...

(1834–1919) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Johann Georg Hamann Johann Georg Hamann (; ; 27 August 1730 – 21 June 1788) was a German Lutheran philosopher from Königsberg known as "the Wizard of the North" who was one of the leader figures of post-Kantian philosophy. His work was used by his student J. G. ...

(1730–1788) ''(Cambridge)'' :

Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, was a German philosopher, independent scholar and author of ''Philosophy of the Unconscious'' (1869). His notable ideas include the theory of the Unconscious and a pessimistic interpretation of the "best of all p ...

(1842–1906) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' :

Nicolai Hartmann Paul Nicolai Hartmann (; 20 February 1882 – 9 October 1950) was a Baltic German philosopher. He is regarded as a key representative of critical realism and as one of the most important twentieth-century metaphysicians. Biography Hartmann wa ...

(1882–1950) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...

(1770–1831) ''(Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centu ...

(1889–1976) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' :

Carl Gustav Hempel Carl Gustav "Peter" Hempel (January 8, 1905 – November 9, 1997) was a German writer, philosopher, logician, and epistemologist. He was a major figure in logical empiricism, a 20th-century movement in the philosophy of science. He is espe ...

(1905–1997) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2)'' :

Johann Friedrich Herbart Johann Friedrich Herbart (; 4 May 1776 – 14 August 1841) was a German philosopher, psychologist and founder of pedagogy as an academic discipline. Herbart is now remembered amongst the post-Kantian philosophers mostly as making the greatest ...

(1776–1841) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' :

Johann Gottfried von Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( , ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the Enlightenment, ''Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. Biography Born in Mohrun ...

(1744–1803) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( ; ; 22 February 1857 – 1 January 1894) was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves predicted by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. The unit o ...

(1857–1894) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Moses Hess Moses (Moritz) Hess (21 January 1812 – 6 April 1875) was a History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish philosopher, early communist and Zionist thinker. His socialist theories led to disagreements with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. He is con ...

(1812–1875) ''(Routledge 2000)'' : David Hilbert (1862–1943) ''(Cambridge)'' : Richard Hönigswald ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Hans Heinz Holz Hans Heinz Holz (26 February 1927 – 11 December 2011) was a German Marxist philosopher. Born in Frankfurt am Main, he was professor of philosophy at the University of Marburg (from 1971 to 1979) and from 1979 to 1993 at the University o ...

(1927–2011) ''(Metzler)'' :

Max Horkheimer Max Horkheimer (; ; 14 February 1895 – 7 July 1973) was a German philosopher and sociologist who was famous for his work in critical theory as a member of the Frankfurt School of social research. Horkheimer addressed authoritarianism, militar ...

(1895–1973) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2)'' :

Wilhelm von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named after ...

(1767–1835) ''(Oxford 1995)'' :

Edmund Husserl , thesis1_title = Beiträge zur Variationsrechnung (Contributions to the Calculus of Variations) , thesis1_url = https://fedora.phaidra.univie.ac.at/fedora/get/o:58535/bdef:Book/view , thesis1_year = 1883 , thesis2_title ...

(1859–1938) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 1998; Routledge 2000)''

I

Roman Ingarden Roman Witold Ingarden (; February 5, 1893 – June 14, 1970) was a Polish philosopher who worked in aesthetics, ontology, and phenomenology. Before World War II, Ingarden published his works mainly in the German language. During the war, he sw ...

(1893–1970) ''(Routledge 1998)''

J

Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi (; 25 January 1743 – 10 March 1819) was an influential German philosopher, literary figure, and socialite. He is notable for popularizing nihilism, a term coined by Obereit in 1787, and promoting it as the prime fau ...

(1743–1819) ''(Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (, ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. After being trained in and practicing psychiatry, Jaspe ...

(1883–1969) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Hans Jonas Hans Jonas (; ; 10 May 1903 – 5 February 1993) was a German-born American Jewish philosopher, from 1955 to 1976 the Alvin Johnson Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Biography Jonas was bor ...

(1903–1993)

K

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aes ...

(1724–1804) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' : Hermann von Keyserling (1880–1946) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Ludwig Klages Friedrich Konrad Eduard Wilhelm Ludwig Klages (10 December 1872 – 29 July 1956) was a German philosopher, psychologist, graphologist, poet, writer, and lecturer, who was a two-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the Germanosph ...

(1872–1956) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Heinrich von Kleist Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (18 October 177721 November 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'', '' The Broken Jug'', ''Amph ...

(1771–1811) ''(Cambridge)'' :

Martin Knutzen Martin Knutzen (14 December 1713 – 29 January 1751) was a German philosopher, a follower of Christian Wolff and teacher of Immanuel Kant, to whom he introduced the physics of Isaac Newton. Biography Martin Knutzen was born in Königsberg ...

(1713–1751) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Karl C.F. Krause Karl Christian Friedrich Krause (; 6 May 1781 – 27 September 1832) was a German philosopher whose doctrines became known as Krausism. Krausism, when considered in its totality as a complete, stand-alone philosophical system, had only a small ...

(1781–1832) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2)'' : Felix Krueger (1874–1948) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Oswald Kuelpe Oswald may refer to: People *Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name * Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbu ...

(1862–1915) ''(Macmillan2)''

L

: Ernst Laas (1837–1885) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Johann Heinrich Lambert Johann Heinrich Lambert (, ''Jean-Henri Lambert'' in French; 26 or 28 August 1728 – 25 September 1777) was a polymath from the Republic of Mulhouse, generally referred to as either Swiss or French, who made important contributions to the subjec ...

(1728–1777) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' :

Friedrich Albert Lange Friedrich Albert Lange (; 28 September 1828 – 21 November 1875) was a German philosopher and sociologist. Biography Lange was born in Wald, near Solingen, the son of the theologian, Johann Peter Lange. He was educated at Duisburg, Zür ...

(1828–1875) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' :

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathe ...

(1646–1716) :

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (, ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the developm ...

(1729–1781) ''(Cambridge; Oxford 1995)'' :

Dieter Leisegang Dieter Leisegang (November 25, 1942, in Wiesbaden – March 21, 1973, in Offenbach am Main) was a German author, philosopher, and broadcaster. Life Dieter Leisegang was born on November 25, 1942, the eleventh child of painter and cartographe ...

(1942–1973) :

Otto Liebmann Otto Liebmann (; 25 February 1840 – 14 January 1912) was a German neo-Kantian philosopher. Biography He was born at Löwenberg, Silesia, into a Jewish family, and educated at Leipzig and Halle. He was made professor at Strassburg (1872) and ...

(1840–1912) ''(Macmillan2)'' : Hans Lipps (1889–1941) : Paul Lorenzen (1915–1994) ''(Routledge 2000)'' :

Hermann Lotze Rudolf Hermann Lotze (; ; 21 May 1817 – 1 July 1881) was a German philosopher and logician. He also had a medical degree and was well versed in biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad sco ...

(1817–1881) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Karl Löwith Karl Löwith (9 January 1897 – 26 May 1973) was a German philosopher in the phenomenological tradition. A student of Husserl and Heidegger, he was one of the most prolific German philosophers of the twentieth century. He is known for his t ...

(1897–1973) ''(Metzler)'' :

Georg Lukács Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * ...

(1885–1971) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)''

M

Ernst Mach Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach ( , ; 18 February 1838 – 19 February 1916) was a Moravian-born Austrian physicist and philosopher, who contributed to the physics of shock waves. The ratio of one's speed to that of sound is named the Mac ...

(1838–1916) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2; Routledge 2000)'' : Salomon Maimon (1754–1800) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan2)'' : Philipp Mainländer (1841–1876) :

Herbert Marcuse Herbert Marcuse (; ; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a German-American philosopher, social critic, and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at the Humboldt Universi ...

(1898–1979) ''(Cambridge; Metzler)'' : Giwi Margwelaschwili (1927–2020) :

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

(1818–1883) ''(Cambridge; Stanford)'' : Fritz Medicus (1876–1956) : Georg Friedrich Meier (1718–1777) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Friedrich Meinecke Friedrich Meinecke (October 20, 1862 – February 6, 1954) was a German historian, with national liberal and anti-Semitic views, who supported the Nazi invasion of Poland. After World War II, as a representative of an older tradition, he crit ...

(1862–1954) ''(Macmillan2)'' :

Alexius Meinong Alexius Meinong Ritter von Handschuchsheim (17 July 1853 – 27 November 1920) was an Austrian philosopher, a realist known for his unique ontology. He also made contributions to philosophy of mind and theory of value. Life Alexius Meinon ...

(1853–1920) ''(Cambridge; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Moses Mendelssohn Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian. His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the ''Haskalah'', or ' ...

(1729–1786) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Ludwig von Mises Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (; 29 September 1881 – 10 October 1973) was an Austrian School economist, historian, logician, and sociologist. Mises wrote and lectured extensively on the societal contributions of classical liberalism. He is ...

(1881–1973) :

Jacob Moleschott Jacob Moleschott (9 August 1822 – 20 May 1893) was a Dutch physiologist and writer on dietetics. He is known for his philosophical views in regard to scientific materialism. He was a member of German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (since 1884) ...

(1822–1893) ''(Macmillan2)''

N

Arne Næss Arne Dekke Eide Næss (; 27 January 1912 – 12 January 2009) was a Norwegian philosopher who coined the term " deep ecology", an important intellectual and inspirational figure within the environmental movement of the late twentieth centu ...

(1912–2009) ''(Oxford 1995)'' :

Paul Natorp Paul Gerhard Natorp (24 January 1854 – 17 August 1924) was a German philosopher and educationalist, considered one of the co-founders of the Marburg school of neo-Kantianism. He was known as an authority on Plato. Biography Paul Natorp w ...

(1854–1924) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Leonard Nelson Leonard Nelson (; ; 11 July 1882 – 29 October 1927), sometimes spelt Leonhard, was a German mathematician, critical philosopher, and socialist. He was part of the neo-Friesian school (named after post-Kantian philosopher Jakob Friedrich Frie ...

(1882–1927) ''(Macmillan; Macmillan2)'' :

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his c ...

(1844–1900) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Macmillan2; Oxford 1995)'' :

Novalis Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure o ...

(1772–1801) ''(Cambridge)''

P

: Helmuth Plessner (1892–1985) ''(Macmillan)'' : Karl Popper (1902–1994) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' :

Friedrich Paulsen Friedrich Paulsen (; July 16, 1846 – August 14, 1908) was a German Neo-Kantian philosopher and educator. Biography He was born at Langenhorn ( Schleswig) and educated at the Gymnasium Christianeum, the University of Erlangen, and the Univ ...

(July 16, 1846–August 14, 1908)

R

Gustav Radbruch Gustav Radbruch (21 November 1878 – 23 November 1949) was a German legal scholar and politician. He served as Minister of Justice of Germany during the early Weimar period. Radbruch is also regarded as one of the most influential legal philos ...

(1878–1949) ''(Routledge 2000)'' :

Paul Rée Paul Ludwig Carl Heinrich Rée (21 November 1849 – 28 October 1901) was a German author, physician, philosopher, and friend of Friedrich Nietzsche. Early life Rée was born in Bartelshagen, Province of Pomerania, Prussia on the noble estat ...

(1849–1901) ''(Oxford 1995)'' :

Hans Reichenbach Hans Reichenbach (September 26, 1891 – April 9, 1953) was a leading philosopher of science, educator, and proponent of logical empiricism. He was influential in the areas of science, education, and of logical empiricism. He founded the ''Ges ...

(1891–1953) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Routledge 2000)'' :

Hermann Samuel Reimarus Hermann Samuel Reimarus (22 December 1694, Hamburg – 1 March 1768, Hamburg), was a German philosopher and writer of the Enlightenment who is remembered for his Deism, the doctrine that human reason can arrive at a knowledge of God and ethics ...

(1694–1768) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan)'' :

Adolf Reinach Adolf Bernhard Philipp Reinach (23 December 1883 – 16 November 1917) was a German philosopher, phenomenologist (from the Munich phenomenology school) and law theorist. Life and work Adolf Reinach was born into a prominent Jewish family in M ...

(1883–1917) ''(Routledge 2000)'' :

Karl Leonhard Reinhold Karl Leonhard Reinhold (26 October 1757 – 10 April 1823) was an Austrian philosopher who helped to popularise the work of Immanuel Kant in the late 18th century. His "elementary philosophy" (''Elementarphilosophie'') also influenced German idea ...

(1758–1823) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan)'' :

Alois Riehl Alois Adolf Riehl (; 27 April 1844 – 21 November 1924) was an Austrian neo-Kantian philosopher. He was born in Bozen (Bolzano) in the Austrian Empire (now in Italy). He was the brother of . Biography Riehl studied at Vienna, Munich, Innsbru ...

(1844–1924) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Karl Rosenkranz Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz (April 23, 1805 – July 14, 1879) was a German philosopher and pedagogue. Life Born in Magdeburg, he read philosophy at Berlin, Halle and Königsberg, devoting himself mainly to the doctrines of Hegel and Schlei ...

(1805–1879) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Franz Rosenzweig Franz Rosenzweig (, ; 25 December 1886 – 10 December 1929) was a German theologian, philosopher, and translator. Early life and education Franz Rosenzweig was born in Kassel, Germany, to an affluent, minimally observant Jewish family. His f ...

(1886–1929) ''(Cambridge; Metzler; Oxford 1995)''

S

Max Scheler Max Ferdinand Scheler (; 22 August 1874 – 19 May 1928) was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology. Considered in his lifetime one of the most prominent German philosophers,Davis, Zacha ...

(1874–1928) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' :

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (; 27 January 1775 – 20 August 1854), later (after 1812) von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German idealism, situating him b ...

(1775–1854) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' :

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

(1759–1805) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' : Friedrich von Schlegel (1772–1829) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan)'' :

Friedrich Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional ...

(1768–1834) ''(Cambridge)'' :

Moritz Schlick Friedrich Albert Moritz Schlick (; ; 14 April 1882 – 22 June 1936) was a German philosopher, physicist, and the founding father of logical positivism and the Vienna Circle. Early life and works Schlick was born in Berlin to a wealthy Prussian ...

(1882–1936) ''(Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' :

Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( , ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is best known for his 1818 work '' The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the phenomenal world as the pr ...

(1788–1860) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' : Rudolf Schottlaender (1900–1988) : Burghart Schmidt (1942–2022) :

Gottlob Ernst Schulze Gottlob Ernst Schulze (; 23 August 1761 – 14 January 1833) was a German philosopher, born in Heldrungen (modern-day Thuringia, Germany). He was the grandfather of the pioneering biochemist Ernst Schulze. Biography Schulze was a professor at W ...

(1761–1833) ''(Cambridge)'' :

Alfred Schütz Alfred Schutz (; born Alfred Schütz, ; 1899–1959) was an Austrian philosopher and social phenomenologist whose work bridged sociological and phenomenological traditions. Schutz is gradually being recognized as one of the 20th century's leadi ...

(1899–1959) ''(Routledge 2000)'' : Christoph von Sigwart (1830–1894) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Georg Simmel Georg Simmel (; ; 1 March 1858 – 26 September 1918) was a German sociologist, philosopher, and critic. Simmel was influential in the field of sociology. Simmel was one of the first generation of German sociologists: his neo-Kantian approach ...

(1858–1918) ''(Cambridge; Routledge 2000)'' :

Peter Sloterdijk Peter Sloterdijk (; ; born 26 June 1947) is a German philosopher and cultural theorist. He is a professor of philosophy and media theory at the University of Art and Design Karlsruhe. He co-hosted the German television show ''Im Glashaus: Das ...

(born 1947) : Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Solger (1780–1819) ''(Macmillan)'' : Robert Spaemann (1927–2018) :

Oswald Spengler Oswald Arnold Gottfried Spengler (; 29 May 1880 – 8 May 1936) was a German historian and philosopher of history whose interests included mathematics, science, and art, as well as their relation to his organic theory of history. He is best k ...

(1880–1936) : Afrikan Spir (1837–1890) ''(Cambridge)'' :

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as ...

(1861–1925) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Bertrand Stern Bertrand Stern (born November 11, 1948) is a German author and philosopher living in Siegburg. He describes himself as a ''freischaffender Philosoph'' (freelance philosopher). He focuses on issues critical to civilization with regard to human dig ...

(born 1948) :

Max Stirner Johann Kaspar Schmidt (25 October 1806 – 26 June 1856), known professionally as Max Stirner, was a German post-Hegelian philosopher, dealing mainly with the Hegelian notion of social alienation and self-consciousness. Stirner is often seen a ...

(''nom de plume'' for Johann Kaspar Schmidt) (1806–1856) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' :

Leo Strauss Leo Strauss (, ; September 20, 1899 – October 18, 1973) was a German-American political philosopher who specialized in classical political philosophy. Born in Germany to Jewish parents, Strauss later emigrated from Germany to the United States ...

(1899–1973) ''(Routledge 2000)'' : Karl Stumpf (1848–1936) ''(Macmillan)''

T

Gustav Teichmüller Gustav Teichmüller (November 19, 1832 – May 22, 1888) was a German philosopher. His works, particularly his notion of perspectivism, influenced Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy. Biography Teichmüller was born in Braunschweig in the Duchy ...

(1832–1888) ''(Cambridge)'' : Johannes Nikolaus Tetens (1736–1807) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Routledge 2000)'' :

Christian Thomasius Christian Thomasius (1 January 1655 – 23 September 1728) was a German jurist and philosopher. Biography He was born in Leipzig and was educated by his father, Jakob Thomasius (1622–1684), at that time a junior lecturer in Leipzig Universi ...

(1655–1728) ''(Macmillan; Sassen)'' :

Ernst Troeltsch Ernst Peter Wilhelm Troeltsch (; ; 17 February 1865 – 1 February 1923) was a German liberal Protestant theologian, a writer on the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of history, and a classical liberal politician. He was a member of ...

(1865–1923) ''(Cambridge; Routledge 2000)'' :

Ernst Tugendhat Ernst Tugendhat (born 8 March 1930) is a Czech-born German philosopher. He is a scion of the wealthy and influential Jewish Tugendhat family. Life and career He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, to Fritz and Greta Tugendhat, the wealthy Jewish ...

(born 1930) leading analytical philosopher, books on Aristoteles, Heidegger, ethics

V

: Hans Vaihinger (1852–1933) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000)'' : Friedrich Theodor Vischer (1807–1887) ''(Macmillan)''

W

Richard Wahle Richard Wahle (February 14, 1857, Vienna – October 21, 1935, Vienna) was professor of philosophy at the Universities of Czernowitz and Vienna. Wahle pronounced in his ''Tragicomedy of Wisdom'' (2nd edition, 1925) on what he acknowledged as only ...

(1857–1935) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German Sociology, sociologist, historian, jurist and political economy, political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of Modernity, ...

''(Macmillan)'' :

Otto Weininger Otto Weininger (; 3 April 1880 – 4 October 1903) was an Austrian philosopher who lived in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1903, he published the book ''Geschlecht und Charakter'' (''Sex and Character''), which gained popularity after his suici ...

Christian Hermann Weisse Christian Hermann Weisse (; ; Weiße in modern German; 10 August 1801 – 19 September 1866) was a German Protestant religious philosopher and professor of philosophy at the University of Leipzig. He was the son of theologian (1766–1832). ...

(1801–1866) :

Hermann Weyl Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl, (; 9 November 1885 – 8 December 1955) was a German mathematician, theoretical physicist and philosopher. Although much of his working life was spent in Zürich, Switzerland, and then Princeton, New Jersey, he is ass ...

(1885–1955) ''(Macmillan)'' :

Wilhelm Windelband Wilhelm Windelband (; ; 11 May 1848 – 22 October 1915) was a German philosopher of the Baden School. Biography Windelband was born the son of a Prussian official in Potsdam. He studied at Jena, Berlin, and Göttingen. Philosophical work Wi ...

(1848–1915) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan)'' :

Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian- British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is cons ...

(1889–1951) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995)'' : Christian Wolff (1679–1754) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Oxford 1995; Routledge 2000; Sassen)'' :

Wilhelm Wundt Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (; ; 16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the fathers of modern psychology. Wundt, who distinguished psychology as a science from philosophy and ...

(1832–1920) ''(Cambridge; Macmillan; Routledge 2000)''

Z

Eduard Zeller Eduard Gottlob Zeller (; 22 January 1814, Kleinbottwar19 March 1908, Stuttgart) was a German philosopher and Protestant theologian of the Tübingen School of theology. He was well known for his writings on Ancient Greek philosophy, especially P ...

(1814–1908) ''(Macmillan)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of German-Language Philosophers

Philosophers A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...