Reading German Philosophy7+ Philosophical Books

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.

16.01.2023

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"

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Hegel für Anfänger
Ralf Ludwig
A2+
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Kant für Anfänger
Ralf Ludwig
A2+

2. Sophies Welt

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Gelassenheit
Wilhelm Schmid
A2+

Easy German Philosophy Books

3. History of Philosophy

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Geschichte der Philosophie I - IV
Richard David Precht
B2+

4. German Romantics & Humboldt

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Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt
Andrea Wulf
B1+
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Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt
Andrea Wulf
B1+

6. Philosophical Biographies

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Schopenhauer
Rüdiger Safranski
E.T.A Hoffmann was a German writer of phantastical stories, horror novellas and much more.
C1
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Nietzsche
Rüdiger Safranski
E.T.A Hoffmann was a German writer of phantastical stories, horror novellas and much more.
C1

German Philosophy Classics

7. Schopenhauer Books

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Die Welt als Wille & Vorstellung
Arthur Schopenhauer
B1+
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Arthur Schopenhauer
B1+

8. Nietzsche

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Die kleinste gemeinsame Wirklichkeit
Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim
A2+

9. Marx & Engels

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Das kommunistische Manifest
Marx & Engels
E.T.A Hoffmann was a German writer of phantastical stories, horror novellas and much more.
C1

Contemporary German Philosophy

Nora Kreft

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Gelassenheit
Wilhelm Schmid
A2+

Volker Gerhardt

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Partizipation
Volker Gerhardt
A2+
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Öffentlichkeit
Volker Gerhardt
A2+

Markus Gabriel

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Moralischer Fortschritt in dunklen Zeiten
Markus Gabriel
A2+

Wilhelm Schmid

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Gelassenheit
Wilhelm Schmid
A2+

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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