What is "zeitgeist"

Zeitgeist \Zeit"geist`\, n. [G.; zeit time + geist spirit. See Tide, n.; Ghost, n.] The spirit of the time; the general intellectual and moral state or temper characteristic of any period of time.

1848, from German Zeitgeist (Herder, 1769), "spirit of the age," literally "time-spirit," from Zeit "time" (see tide (n.)) + Geist "spirit" (see ghost (n.)). Carlyle has it as a German word in "Sartor Resartus" (1840) and translates it as "Time-Spirit."

n. The spirit of the age; the taste, outlook, and spirit characteristic of a period

The Zeitgeist (spirit of the age or spirit of the time) is the dominant set of ideals and beliefs that motivate the actions of the members of a society in a particular period in time. For example, the Zeitgeist of modernism motivated the creation of new forms in the fields of architecture, art, and fashion during much of the 20th century. Zeitgeist is a powerful force embedded in the individuals of a society. The German word Zeitgeist, translated literally as "time mind" or "time spirit", is often attributed to the philosopher Georg Hegel, but he never actually used the word. In his works such as Lectures on the Philosophy of History, he uses the phrase der Geist seiner Zeit (the spirit of his time)—for example, "no man can surpass his own time, for the spirit of his time is also his own spirit."

Other philosophers who were associated with such ideas include Herder and Spencer and Voltaire. The concept contrasts with the Great Man theory popularized by Thomas Carlyle, which sees history as the result of the actions of heroes and geniuses.

Hegel believed that art reflected, by its very nature, the culture of the time in which it is created. Culture and art are inextricable because an individual artist is a product of his or her time and therefore brings that culture to any given work of art. Furthermore, he believed that in the modern world it was impossible to produce classical art, which he believed represented a "free and ethical culture", which depended more on the philosophy of art and theory of art, rather than a reflection of the social construct, or Zeitgeist in which a given artist lives.

In the analysis of the arts and culture, the concept of a "spirit of the age" or zeitgeist may be problematic as a tool for analysis of periods which are socially or culturally fragmented and diverse.

Zeitgeist is the intellectual fashion or dominant school of thought of a certain period.

Zeitgeist may also refer to:

Zeitgeist (Axel Cluney) is a fictional mutant character and superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe, a member of the second team of X-Force.

Zeitgeist is an American contemporary classical music group based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1977.

Its instrumentation includes two percussion, piano, and woodwinds. The group has worked with and commissioned numerous composers, including John Cage, Yoko Ono, La Monte Young, Frederic Rzewski, Paul Dresher, Terry Riley, Anthony Gatto, Jin Hi Kim, Eric Stokes, Harold Budd, Daniel Lentz, Barbara Benary, Fred Ho, Martin Bresnick, Homer Lambrecht, Brent Michael Davids, Jack Vees, Pierre Jalbert, Arthur Jarvinen, Scott Lindroth, Mark Applebaum, and Beth Custer.

Zeitgeist is the fourth album by The Levellers. It was released in 1995 and reached #1 in the UK album charts, making it the band's most successful album. Two singles were released from the album – "Hope St.", which reached #12 in the UK single charts, and "Fantasy", which reached 16. Additionally, a re-recorded version of "Just the One" featuring Joe Strummer was released, reaching #12, as well as a live version of "Exodus" from the later Headlights, White Lines, Black Tar Rivers (Best Live) album the next year, which reached #24.

Zeitgeist is the seventh album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 10, 2007 in the United States and Canada. It was the first album The Smashing Pumpkins released after their 2000 disbandment and 2005 reunion. The album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, and Terry Date. The album would be Chamberlin's last with the band before his departure in 2009. The album debuted strongly, but sales soon decreased, and critical reception was mixed. It was certified Gold in the United States on February 1, 2008.

1. redirect Zeitgeist (disambiguation)

Zeitgeist ApS is a Danish independent film production company created in 1997 by producer Søren Juul Petersen.

It has produced a number of theatrical feature films.

Zeitgeist remained one of Denmark's very few independent film companies for a number of years. The company since declared bankruptcy after the unsuccessful production of the Danish horror film Skavengers (2012).

Zeitgeist (Spirit of the Age) is the debut album by German electronical DJ Schiller. It featured the singles Das Glockenspiel, Liebesschmerz and Ruhe, all of which reached the Top 30 of the German singles charts. The album itself reached the Top 30 of the German longplay charts as well.

In free software, Zeitgeist is a software service which logs the users's activities and events, anywhere from files opened to websites visited and conversations. It makes this information readily available for other applications to use in the form of timelines and statistics. It is able to establish relationships between items based on similarity and usage patterns by applying data association algorithms such as " Winepi" and " Apriori"

Zeitgeist is the main engine and logic behind GNOME Activity Journal which is currently seen to become one of the main means of viewing and managing activities in GNOME version 3.0.

Zeitgeist is a series of three documentary films released between 2007 and 2011 that present a number of conspiracy theories, as well as proposals for broad social and economic changes.

The Zeitgeist Movement was formed shortly after the release of Zeitgeist: Addendum.