Zeitgeist

In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a zeitgeist (capitalized in German; German pronunciation: [ˈtsaɪtɡaɪst] ⓘ) ("spirit of the age") is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. The term is usually associated with Georg W. F. Hegel, contrasting with Hegel's use of Volksgeist "national spirit" and Weltgeist "world-spirit". Its coinage and popularization precede Hegel, and are mostly due to Herder and Goethe. Other philosophers who were associated with such concepts include Spencer and Voltaire. Contemporary use of the term sometimes, more colloquially, refers to a schema of fashions or fads that prescribes what is considered to be acceptable or tasteful for an era: e.g., in the field of architecture.

For other uses, see Zeitgeist (disambiguation).
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