Reading German Philosophy 7+ Philosophical Books

Reading German Philosophy

Reading German Philosophy is difficult enough for native speakers and fluent bros. But: If this is a topic that interests you, don't stop yourself! It can be incredibly rewarding to read German philosophy.

Reading philosophy in a foreign language is already quite an advanced skill to have. Many beginners shy away from reading German philosophy, because it can seem incredibly intimidating. We've heard from quite a few students now that they had picked up a copy of one of Nietzsche's early works or pretty much anything by Kant or Hegel, only to realize that the endeavour to read philosophy in German is just futile.

That's too bad, however, because there are easier philosophical texts that learners could use to expand their knowledge & philosophical vocabulary. We've collected a few books here that you might want to consider reading, if you are interested in German philosophy. Enjoy.

Learning German by Reading Philosophy

German Philosophy for Total Beginners

1. German Philosophy "für Anfänger"

Hegel für Anfänger by Ralf Ludwig
Hegel für Anfänger
Ralf Ludwig

Kant für Anfänger by Ralf Ludwig
Kant für Anfänger
Ralf Ludwig

2. Sophies Welt

Gelassenheit by Wilhelm Schmid
Gelassenheit
Wilhelm Schmid

Easy German Philosophy Books

3. History of Philosophy

Geschichte der Philosophie I - IV by Richard David Precht
Geschichte der Philosophie I - IV
Richard David Precht

4. German Romantics & Humboldt

Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt by Andrea Wulf
Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt
Andrea Wulf

Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt by Andrea Wulf
Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt
Andrea Wulf

6. Philosophical Biographies

Schopenhauer by Rüdiger Safranski
Schopenhauer
Rüdiger Safranski

E.T.A Hoffmann was a German writer of phantastical stories, horror novellas and much more.

Nietzsche by Rüdiger Safranski
Nietzsche
Rüdiger Safranski

E.T.A Hoffmann was a German writer of phantastical stories, horror novellas and much more.

German Philosophy Classics

7. Schopenhauer Books

Die Welt als Wille & Vorstellung by Arthur Schopenhauer
Die Welt als Wille & Vorstellung
Arthur Schopenhauer

 by Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer

8. Nietzsche

Die kleinste gemeinsame Wirklichkeit by Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim
Die kleinste gemeinsame Wirklichkeit
Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim

9. Marx & Engels

Das kommunistische Manifest by Marx & Engels
Das kommunistische Manifest
Marx & Engels

E.T.A Hoffmann was a German writer of phantastical stories, horror novellas and much more.

Contemporary German Philosophy

Nora Kreft

Gelassenheit by Wilhelm Schmid
Gelassenheit
Wilhelm Schmid

Volker Gerhardt

Partizipation by Volker Gerhardt
Partizipation
Volker Gerhardt

Öffentlichkeit by Volker Gerhardt
Öffentlichkeit
Volker Gerhardt

Markus Gabriel

Moralischer Fortschritt in dunklen Zeiten by Markus Gabriel
Moralischer Fortschritt in dunklen Zeiten
Markus Gabriel

Wilhelm Schmid

Gelassenheit by Wilhelm Schmid
Gelassenheit
Wilhelm Schmid

Conclusion

Reading philosophy in German is one of the most challenging feats to accomplish. While you might not start out with reading Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, you will definitely get there if you dive deep into the world of philosophy and slowly pave your way forward.

We hope that this blog post helped a little to get you started with reading philosophy. Working through (some of) these books will definitely build your philosophy vocabulary in German and prepare you for reading more advanced German philosophy like Kant, Hegel or Nietzsche. Good luck!

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