What is the link, philosophically that the USA has to Germany?
thanks!
2007-12-22 07:48:26 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Primarily, it's Nietzsche. But we've acquired him through several proxies. First of those is Heidegger, then secondarily through his minions such as Max Weber.
Such terminology as:
1. Even the word "terminology"
2. values
3. life style
4. ideology
5. value positing
6. gestalt
7. charisma
8. soul
9. culture
Are great examples of our modified understanding due to the German influence. These terms either did not exist or meant something entirely different in the minds of men prior to the German influence.
You see, the USA was set adrift from continental Europe with nary an intellectual notion of how to structure a prosperous nation...or so they thought!
At that time we had very little in what was basically not much more than John Locke to guide us. In a very large sense, having so little ironically benifitted the founding of our nation and the evolution which transpired in that no distractions to Locke were available to "muck-up" the works.
Fast forward to about the 1950's. A major influx of immigrants from Germany (due to the Hitler anti-jew brain drain there) wound up on the shores of our nation. Sure, we've had immigrants from all over the world, but these ones from Germany (at that time and place in history) were more than special.
They were the holders of all-things-cutting-edge intellectually. They were the survivors of The Wiemar Republic." It's amusing to see the ideas of this, the last great intellectual era in history, being played out in a nation with such a naive understanding as The USA.
It's amusing not because Weimar is dominating over our founding principles. But, rather, because Wiemar is being absorbed into the naive collective consciousness of our egalitarian melting pot.
2007-12-22 09:56:05 · answer #1 · answered by M O R P H E U S 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if this is a philosophical connection or not, but the english language is Germanic in origin. English is in the Germanic group of languages.
2007-12-22 07:56:05 · answer #2 · answered by 1coolguy 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Language?
Much of our English came from Low German language as well as others.
We certainly have had a large immigration from Germany. Legal, that is.
My ancestors for one.
2007-12-22 07:55:02 · answer #3 · answered by ed 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The dollar bill like in thaler.
No problem
2007-12-22 08:19:24 · answer #4 · answered by Uncle Remus 54 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋