Inspirational Quotes by Walter Kaufmann (German-American Philosopher)

Walter Arnold Kaufmann (1921–80) was a renowned German-American philosopher, translator, and poet who made remarkable contributions to existentialism, Nietzsche scholarship, and the study of religious philosophy.

Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, Kaufmann immigrated to the United States as a lone individual at 17. He pursued higher education, obtaining his B.A. from Williams College in 1941 and later earning a PhD from Harvard in 1947. However, his academic pursuits were interrupted by three years of military service with the U.S. Army 1943–46. He became a distinguished philosophy professor at Princeton, teaching for three decades.

Kaufmann was a prolific author who delved into various subjects, including authenticity, death, moral philosophy, existentialism, theism, atheism, Christianity, Judaism, and the intersection of philosophy and literature. His influential works encompassed acclaimed translations of Nietzsche’s writings and his notable book Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist (1950,) which played a pivotal role in popularizing Nietzsche’s philosophy in the English-speaking world.

Kaufmann’s writing possessed a deliberate provocation, as he believed being provocative was the most effective way to stimulate independent thought. Notably, his edited works, including Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre (1975,) served as a gateway to introduce existentialist thought to a broader audience. Furthermore, his repertoire consisted of other noteworthy works such as Critique of Religion and Philosophy (1958,) Hegel: A Reinterpretation (1965,) Religions in Four Dimensions (1976,) and Discovering the Mind (3 vols., 1980.)

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Walter Kaufmann

We cannot begin to discover the mind as long as we ignore the irrational and subterranean springs of behaviour as well as thought.
—Walter Kaufmann

No one system reveals the entire truth; at best, each organizes one point of view or perspective. We must consider many perspectives, and a philosopher should not imprison his thought in one system.
—Walter Kaufmann

All of us have so much more time than we use well. How many hours in a life are spent in a way of which one might be proud, looking back?
—Walter Kaufmann

To an even moderately sophisticated and well-read person it should come as no surprise that any religion at all has its hidden as well as its obvious beauties and is capable of profound and impressive interpretations. What is deeply objectionable about most of these interpretations is that they allow the believer to say Yes while evading any No.
—Walter Kaufmann

Man stands alone in the universe, responsible for his condition, likely to remain in a lowly state, but free to reach above the stars.
—Walter Kaufmann

Let people who do not know what to do with themselves in this life, but fritter away their time reading magazines and watching television, hope for eternal life…..The life I want is a life I could not endure in eternity. It is a life of love and intensity, suffering and creation, that makes life worth while and death welcome. There is no other life I should prefer. Neither should I like not to die.
—Walter Kaufmann
Topics: Charity

Success is no proof of virtue. In the case of a book, quick acclaim is presumptive evidence of a lack of substance and originality.
—Walter Kaufmann

What distinguishes knowledge is not certainty but evidence.
—Walter Kaufmann

Perfection lies in intensity, and what is most intense cannot be endured long.
—Walter Kaufmann

Reason may not always tell us what to believe, but it can help us on what we shouldn’t believe.
—Walter Kaufmann

When it is founded on decision, love is no longer an unreliably moving passion, but the fulfillment to which alone real Being reveals itself.
—Walter Kaufmann

Rabbi Zusya said that on the Day of Judgment, God would ask him, not why he had not been Moses, but why he had not been Zusya.
—Walter Kaufmann
Topics: Judgment, Judging, Judges

Inspirational Quotes by Walter Kaufmann (German-American Philosopher)

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply