I'm tired of the German department not offering anything interesting. In the undergraduate bulletin are listed some interesting courses, but it seems like all I ever see offered is stuff like "Global Queer Cinema." With my turn in focus towards Latin and Greek I have mostly dusted my feet off to the German department (I'm not even taking a class this semester and will just be taking the one more which I'll have to take to finish the major next semester). Since I want to keep my German up to speed I'm looking for some philosophical literature to read in my spare time. I've heard Kant can be terribly hard to read. Does anyone know of a German philosopher who isn't quite so bad in the original?

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DAVIDIVS DOCTVS VTRIVSQVE LINGVAE
Husband of Emilia
Member: First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Durham (RPCNA) - Durham, NC
Currently in the process of transferring membership to an as-yet-undecided church in Chapel Hill
Student: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, German Literature and Classics

I would guess Neechee would be a good road. I heard he did a good job with the language.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Not a philosopher, but Goethe should be beautiful to read. And Luther would be interesting, though perhaps archaic. Karl Marx is probably an easire read than Engels or Hegel. I'm not recommending them by theology, obviously!

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The man who is disposed to think of his sin as a great calamity, rather than as a heinous crime, is not likely either to reverence God or to respect His law. - John Kennedy, 1873
Meg
Blog
Member, Intown Presbyterian Church,PCA, Portland, OR

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Are you open to German theologians? Some of the persons cited (Marx, Hegel, etc.) would qualify as philosophers but make for fairly tedious reads. I would think that some of the theological literature would be more spiritually beneficial. Hegelian idealism isn't even fun to read in English.

If you have your heart set on a philospher, why not Nietzsche? Jenseits von Gut und Böse would be a resaonable choice. Nietzsche is always good for a happy yippy-skippy read (Not!). Still, he was quite important. Der Wille zur Macht has been cited so often by moderns that you might want to read it too, although it consisted of his notes edited by his sister.

I vote for something by a theologian rather than getting bogged down in 20th century German philosophy at all. But, if you want philosophy, try an earlier one such as Nietszche.

BTW, if you really want to see the logic of the father of liberal theology on display, Schleiermacher's Der christliche Glaube or (for an easier read) Aus Schleiermachers Leben in Briefen . Much of what Barth wrote in his Church Dogmatics was an attempt to counter Schleiermacher. For that matter, if you have infinite patience for dialetical reasoning, you could read Barth's Die Kirchliche Dogmatik. He was Swiss and KD is in German. I would recommend 4/1. If you want to read a commentary more about Barth than Paul, try his Römerbrief which made a huge historical splash in 1919.

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Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

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Easy German Philosopher = Oxymoron

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Caleb
Trinity Baptist Church
Spokane, WA

I'd opt for German beer instead.

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Daddy
Member of TRBC, Attending CCRPC. My Blog
The Puritan Pub (Team Blog)
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Best not to read any of them (Col. 2:8) unless you are thoroughly grounded in a Christian worldview.

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Daniel Ritchie
Saintfield, Northern Ireland - Queen's University, Belfast:History/Politics
Member of Dromara Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (Covenanter)

you're correct. I wouldn't even touch Niszcthie and Kant except for a summary of what they believe.

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~Keon Garraway~ Brooklyn, NY Member of Franklin Square OPC

Love for God demonstrated by the love for our children in giving them a God centered education is the only hope for our country. by David Morrow
Pslam 71:20 [Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

I like Neechee. He is the best expression of the 20th century mind. Combine him with Bahnsen and you can stand down any want-to-be upperclass elitist who denies God but still values "morality."

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

You beat me too it!

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~etexas~