philosophical
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philosophical
Concerning philosophy as an academic discipline; relating to the teachings, methods, or questions of philosophy.
Er schrieb seine Doktorarbeit über ein philosophisches Thema der Antike.
He wrote his doctoral dissertation on a philosophical topic from antiquity.
'Philosophisch' (philosophical) is the adjective for the noun 'die Philosophie' (philosophy). It refers to the way of thinking and the topics of philosophers.
Das ist eine typisch philosophische Frage ohne einfache Antwort.
That is a typically philosophical question with no simple answer.
The meaning changes with the context. In an academic setting, it means 'belonging to the discipline of philosophy'. In personal conversation, it means 'profound'. As a description of a reaction, it means 'calm' or 'philosophical'.
Sie studiert im Hauptfach ein philosophisches Thema.
She is majoring in a philosophical topic.
In the meaning 'calm', the word is often used in the fixed expressions 'etwas philosophisch nehmen' (to take something philosophically) or 'etwas philosophisch sehen' (to view something philosophically). It describes a calm reaction to something negative.
Sie hat ihren Job verloren, aber sie nimmt es philosophisch.
She lost her job, but she is taking it philosophically.
theoretical
'theoretisch' and 'philosophisch' can both have to do with thinking and not directly with practical action. Use 'theoretisch' when something is based on an idea, rule, or theory, but has not yet been tested in practice. 'philosophisch' fits when something is about philosophy, or when someone thinks in a very fundamental way about life, knowledge, or meaning. Learners may confuse the words because both sound connected to 'thinking'. A practical guide: a solution or possibility is 'theoretisch'; a question about life or truth is more likely to be 'philosophisch'.
Nach dem Film begann ein philosophisches Gespräch über Freiheit und Verantwortung.
After the film, a philosophical conversation about freedom and responsibility began.
Theoretisch könnte der Plan funktionieren, aber wir haben ihn noch nicht ausprobiert.
Theoretically, the plan could work, but we have not tried it yet.