Jaspers zur Einführung

Karl Jaspers (1883-1969) is undoubtedly one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called existential philosophy in Germany, alongside Martin Heidegger. It is all the more surprising that his thinking has hardly been truly received until now. Werner Schüssler demonstrates in his introduction that the central concern of Jaspers' thought is the concept of philosophy. In all his intellectual efforts, Jaspers aims to lead philosophy out of its self-forgetfulness and to return its true themes: existence and transcendence. Thus, philosophy is fundamentally distinct from science; it is also fundamentally distinct from religion, as Jaspers understands philosophy as a belief arising from one's own origin. It becomes clear that for Jaspers, philosophy is still more than just its history.