Enlightenment thinker / scout / educator
Loading your saved state.
Enlightenment thinker
A person, especially a philosopher or writer, who was a representative of the intellectual movement of the Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Voltaire und Kant gehören zu den bekanntesten Aufklärern Europas.
Voltaire and Kant are among Europe's best-known Enlightenment thinkers.
scout
In the military field, a soldier, aircraft, or vehicle whose task is reconnaissance of enemy territory.
Der Aufklärer meldete feindliche Truppenbewegungen an das Hauptquartier.
The scout reported enemy troop movements to headquarters.
educator
Someone who informs and educates other people about certain, often taboo, topics such as sexuality.
Oswalt Kolle galt in den 70er Jahren als wichtigster sexueller Aufklärer in Deutschland.
Oswalt Kolle was considered the most important sex educator in Germany in the 1970s.
'Der Aufklärer' (the Enlightenment thinker/scout/educator) is derived from the verb 'aufklären' (to clarify/enlighten/inform). The suffix '-er' denotes a person who performs the action of the verb—so someone who clarifies or investigates matters, whether philosophically, militarily, or socially.
Ein guter Journalist ist auch immer ein Aufklärer.
A good journalist is also always an educator.
You can tell which meaning is intended from the topic. If it is about philosophy and the 18th century, it refers to a thinker. In a military context, it is a scout. If it is about social topics, it is someone who informs people about them.
Immanuel Kant war ein bedeutender deutscher Aufklärer.
Immanuel Kant was an important German Enlightenment thinker.
The best-known meaning of 'Aufklärer' (Enlightenment thinker) refers to the historical period of the Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries. In this context, the word is a fixed technical term in history and philosophy.
Die Schriften der französischen Aufklärer beeinflussten die Revolution.
The writings of the French Enlightenment thinkers influenced the Revolution.
In the meaning of a person who informs others, 'Aufklärer' (educator) is often specified by the topic being explained. A very common combination, for example, is 'sexueller Aufklärer' (sex educator).
Er wurde durch seine Fernsehsendungen zum bekanntesten sexuellen Aufklärer des Landes.
Through his television programs, he became the country's best-known sex educator.
spy / peephole
The spy and the scout both collect information about an opponent, but their roles are different. The spy works undercover on behalf of an intelligence agency, while the scout regularly explores enemy territory in a military context. Choose Aufklärer for this military reconnaissance task and Spion for intelligence work.
Der Aufklärer erkundete als Soldat das feindliche Gebiet vor dem Vormarsch.
As a soldier, the scout explored enemy territory ahead of the advance.
Der Spion beschaffte im Geheimen Informationen über die militärischen Pläne des Gegners.
The spy secretly obtained information about the opponent's military plans.
