to philosophize
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to philosophize
To engage with the fundamental questions of life, the world, and thought; to think and talk about philosophical problems.
Im Seminar philosophieren wir über den Begriff der Gerechtigkeit bei Platon.
In the seminar, we philosophize about the concept of justice in Plato.
to philosophize
Colloquially, to think or talk deeply, often digressively, about a topic.
Nach dem zweiten Glas Wein fingen wir an, über den Sinn des Lebens zu philosophieren.
After the second glass of wine, we started philosophizing about the meaning of life.
The verb 'philosophieren' (to philosophize) belongs to the word family of 'die Philosophie' (philosophy) and 'der Philosoph' (philosopher). The ending '-ieren' is typical of many verbs borrowed from foreign languages.
Schon als Jugendliche hat sie gern über große Fragen philosophiert.
Even as a teenager, she liked philosophizing about big questions.
When you want to name the topic of reflection, you always use the preposition 'über' (about) with the accusative.
Die Studenten philosophierten stundenlang über die Freiheit.
The students philosophized about freedom for hours.
In everyday language, 'philosophieren' (to philosophize) is often used slightly ironically for deep but sometimes aimless conversations. It then describes thinking that does not necessarily have to be academic.
Wir saßen am Lagerfeuer und philosophierten über die Zukunft.
We sat by the campfire and philosophized about the future.
A very common idiom in colloquial use is 'über Gott und die Welt philosophieren' (to philosophize about God and the world). It means to talk about all kinds of topics, often unrelated ones.
Bei einem Glas Wein kann man wunderbar über Gott und die Welt philosophieren.
Over a glass of wine, you can wonderfully philosophize about God and the world.
to discuss
Both words can describe a longer conversation about an important question. „Diskutieren“ emphasizes exchanging different positions, while „philosophieren“ refers more strongly to fundamental, abstract questions or to a profound, sometimes digressive conversation. „Diskutieren“ usually fits concrete arguments, while „philosophieren“ is more suitable for questions about life.
Die Studenten philosophieren darüber, was ein gutes Leben eigentlich bedeutet.
The students are philosophizing about what a good life really means.
Die Studenten diskutieren darüber, ob die Stadt mehr für den Umweltschutz tun sollte.
The students are discussing whether the city should do more to protect the environment.
