LITERATURE - Goethe

Goethe is one of the great minds of European civilisation, though his work is largely unknown outside of the German speaking countries. He deserves our renewed attention.
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[@Knock_OFF_Anims]

Fun fact: after the release of the book "the sorrows of the young Werther." this has caused a chain reaction of suicides in Europe. This cause of suicide effects has been later called as "the Werther-effect."

[@josegc9802]

Wow

[@vitoriaregina7665]

i don't know why but this is my favorite book haha it's weird

[@reddyandre]

And perhaps spawned the creation of delicious butterscotch candies!

[@Zett76]

...the effect even founded the broadly accepted policy to NOT report suicides in the news (except those of celebrities), to prevent said Werther-effect.

[@rome8726]

Wow... How do you know that ? It's not that I don't believe you, but that's not something a ordinary person would know.

[@SuperGreatSphinx]

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul..." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

[@jerryshunk7152]

Stella this channel only speaks of God as an annoying object from what I've perceived.

[@djtrendsetta5766]

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which is implanted in the human soul..." Proof that even the greats need an editor.

[@camilohiche4475]

Johann Wolfgang Sebastian Amadeus von Goetheven

[@jerryshunk7152]

@@metaphysicalmigraine694 GOD ALMIGHTY IS !!! HIS NAME IS JEHOVAH !!!!!!!

[@deanodog3667]

@@jerryshunk7152 fuck off dickhead!

[@ashutoshchakravarty2669]

"We judge young girls for what they are, but young boys for what they promise to be" -Goethe

[@ynsemrclk6748]

this is true but not for everyone

[@randyhollier]

Beyond fucked up if you ask me

[@rajatchandra3209]

@@randyhollier such is reality

[@alfonsoantonromero932]

🌌🌌🤔🤔🔪🤯🤯😏🌌🌌

[@libertinemercenary8421]

@@randyhollier how is it fucked up? He has a point. Girls can do shit all and they will live a good life. A boy after 15 becomes a liability

[@vagrant9414]

Goethe: What is life without romantic love? Notification : *WARNING: ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER WANTS TO KNOW YOUR LOCATION*

[@tylerdurden1665]

Lol

[@Duke_of_Seshington]

👌😂

[@daisymiller6057]

good one

[@Tayl0NP]

This is the most (unfortunately,) esoteric drop the mic moment I've had 😂😂😭🤣😂

[@editor4958]

Heisenberg is uncertain of his location.

[@kubafrank96]

Jesus... I remember watching this after I abysmally failed high school/college and was in a deep emotional rut. Great writers' stories and attitude to life as presented here and in other videos were such a massive inspiration and source of motivation for me to pull myself up, re-evaluate my values and life goals to the point where I made a gamble and signed up to a undergraduate degree in physics with a prep year (physics and mathematics were and are my jam) despite being aware of my previous failures. Here I am, a few years later, I finished my degree ranking first in my class, am on my way of getting a distinction in my MSc and have just been accepted to a PhD programme in a top world university! Despite the limitations of the medium and inherent biased interpretations of videos such as this, I attribute this channel to starting my intellectual growth over the previous years. Only now when I decided to rewatch the pieces about Goethe and Tolstoy did I realise how much of an impact this channel's description of these figures made on me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Allan and the School of Life!

[@kubafrank96]

@@JH_Neu Thanks mate. Hope you recover well! I started my degree at an age when all of my previous class mates have already graduated, and my approach to this had been the same as yours; the difference between being 23 and 27 is nothing at this point in our lives so dedicating it to studying and building foundations for securing a more interesting future is absolutely worth it. My master's is currently done online, which sucks, but it does feel like that final "chore" to push through after which the fun begins (I just want to start working on my personal life after all this study)!

[@ajmnv]

Im 65 and still yearning to learn beyond my multiple degrees, follow my curiosities, hunger for more answers and produce greater work in all areas of my life. Don’t let age define and set the parameters of your vision and desires. I’ve lived and walked the paths of many people and looking back, I’ll tell you, you’ve got a long journey ahead and if you stay hungry, be like a child, you’ll have an amazing life. Goethe, was a former professors inspiration and I’m now just beginning to appreciate his work. This video medium is a fantastic way to introduce subject matter to a greater audience. Thank you.

[@benaaronmusic]

Wow. I always learn something new. "Speak to me, you stones!"

[@juliegathman2923]

I also liked that particular expression. I feel that way about so many things I see. They don't mean anything to me, but I want them to.

[@Stoney-Jacksman]

Sorry...dont feel like speaking...bro.

[@peterbellini6102]

Reporter: "Speak to me you stones" Mick: "D'ya mean philosophically, economically, politically, sexually...what"?

[@waynej2608]

I dropped acid in Rome once. The stones, indeed, spoke back to me.

[@kastenmuller4003]

der ist gut Angst ?

[@YaraelgerzawY]

This is the only channel on which I am actually enthusiastic to read people's comments and input. Much respect to all the thinkers out here

[@javierfernandez1126]

+Yara salah el gerzawY It is a great channel, i love it too! I would recommend you the vpro backlight documentaries, theyre one of the best things out there in youtube (no advertisement intended, i just like the channel) :)

[@YaraelgerzawY]

Javier Fernández Thank u! I'll check them out :)

[@gametoppler]

Reading comments on every video is fascinating. Different feel, different taste. Too bad you don't 'feel' other videos.

[@javierfernandez1126]

I think is a basic feature of all the philosophically curious. They are just interested in knowing the world and finding out the truth and not in just imposing their opinion on others. Also, they are willilng to discuss bsed on arguments and not on feelings and biases.

[@gametoppler]

That's so robotic n mechanical. I hear u though. Cheers.

[@nonamed56]

How can one spend his entire life working on something and then not have 13 hours to see the whole thing ?

[@terribletallrus6520]

He was just done with it maybe and didn't want to correct it any further after noticing flaws after watching it. :p

[@JRR147]

this has got to do with the fact that Faust is no traditional play and was therefore not often performed.

[@terribletallrus6520]

+JRR147 Oh, hmm. Thank you for the insight.

[@VinchVideos]

Dude obviously had no fucks to give

[@le_puke7058]

+ho disperatilor He wrote the play but wasn't the director.. This also happens nowadays.. People make movies or plays out of books, whose author already died

[@maxhillebrand96]

It is a damn shame that you can only put one thumbs up under this video! Those kind of videos are what makes The School of Life one of the best channels on here!

Thumbs up count and related statistics aren't that important.

[@MustafaKulle]

+Max Hillebrand All we can do is like and share. ^_^

[@michaelsteven1090]

+Mustafa Kulle Right you are.. We have no power here on KZbin..

[@jasonjackson3114]

+Max Hillebrand; Indeed my friend. Well said.

[@KamiSilver]

I just love the amount of skill and effort put into the visuals and the theory all the same. So much research in both areas.

[@Saephaan]

They don’t read the books they’re talking about though. Still, the videos are entertaining.

[@Coolblueocean2001]

@@Saephaan how do you know?

[@kiowhatta1]

'The sorrows of young werther' is a fabulous book, despite the tragic-romantic style. It is not only based on Goethe's own disappointing experiences with women, but also based on a friend who committed suicide after a woman he was in love with rejected him. I'm no expert on Goethe but I also understand he completed the colour wheel which Isaac Newton started. It is important to understand that in Goethe's time there was a 'Romantic movement'; nothing to do with the definition of the word today, but rather as best described as the counter enlightenment. Goethe was an early proponent of its ideas and was part of a group in the late 18th C called 'Sturm und Drang' (Storm and Stress), a small group including Schiller, of 'angry young men' who embraced the Ideals of the Romantic movement. By the way, if you haven't done a video on the Romantic movement please do. The Romantics embraced much of the opposite of what they saw in the enlightenment, such as science and rationalism, and its clinical, dry, detached way of categorising humanity and the world. The Romantics were not an organised group as such. One of the best descriptions of (the Romantics) was written by my old Philosophy teacher - "The declared aim of the romantics was to tear down the artifices of 'culture' and 'rationality' which barred the way, both historically and personally, to a "return to nature": this is nature the unbounded, wild and ever-changing, nature the sublime and powerful. Were humans to behave 'Naturally', freed from the artificial constraints of cultural convention and morality, then it was proposed that the truth of human life would be revealed, and humans could live a nobler life. In the name of nature, the romantics worshipped: liberty, power, love, violence, imagination, irrationality, the Greeks, the 'primitives' or anything that aroused their emotional responses, while in actuality they worshipped emotions as an end in themselves."

[@BlantonDelbert]

This is a pretty good comment but you made a couple mistakes. First, it's not "science and rationalism." It's "science and empiricism." The Romantics were actually Rationalists descended from Plato. The Empiricists descend from Aristotle and so does Science. The crude breakdown is Plato-Rationalism-Romanticism-Conservative versus Aristotle-Empiricism-Materialism (Science)-Liberalism. Also, the Romantics were not against Culture. That's your second mistake. Romanticism was a reaction against the Industrial Revolution which happened because of the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution. So yes, the Romantics disliked the Enlightenment. Any yes, they wanted a return to Mother Nature. However, as the years passed, many Romantics identified with their culture and the royals of their culture. For example, the Romantic Poets Coleridge and Wordsworth each sided with the French Royalty during the French Revolution. Now, later on, Byron and Shelley sided with Napoleon who was pretty much given the task of destroying all of the European Monarchies and the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon failed with the first but did succeed in destroying the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon can be seen as the height of French Romanticism. Who can be the height of German Romanticism? You guessed it, Adolf Hitler. At first, Romanticism is a way to rationalize one's egotism, one being a sociopath. But then, it becomes a macro-Romanticism for one's culture. All wars are forms or Romanticism and the first hardcore Romantics were the Spartans of Ancient Greece who were the world's first Nazis. You can get detailed Spartan analysis in Bertrand Russell's great book, "Western Philosophy." The only good that the Romantics really have done is value Mother Nature. The rest of their bullshit is just egoism.

[@MutantsInDisguise]

Such a postmodernist creep are you!

[@ForgottenFirearm]

FYI Johann Wolfgang von Goethe did write a work called "Faust," but he did not invent the story. The legend of Faust dates to the 1500s. I can see why the story appealed to Goethe though.

[@leander2517]

It was also inspired a bit by the story of Job from the Christian Mythology. Although in that God wins the bet. (B-O-R-I-N-G)

[@agamaparsingh3336]

Christopher Marlow

[@Inguiasu]

@@leander2517 God was invented, just so he could create angels. Yet the compelling and most interesting transition is the conversion of the utmost cherubim to Satanas. The fallen angel, the Devil. Evil, yes… but as you profess NOT boring. These are MYTHS people. Wake up!

[@ElZombiePelon]

I am from Latin America and i could say that this channel is one of my fav in all Internet. I hope someday explain about Borges, Cortazar, Poe, etc.... Cheers :)

[@ssdudess]

4.45 the cover of Burzum's Fallen

[@deffranca3396]

he could explain machado de assis

[@Rosangela161]

Good job! Thanks.

[@johannesbekker1970]

Why not on Dr Rudolf Steiner (PhD Phil) who edited the entire body of Goethe's work ? This man was a colossal genius in the same league as Goethe even far more !

[@MannyJazzcats]

@@johannesbekker1970 rudolph steiner was an interesting person at best

[@mrjamesgrimes]

i just happened upon this channel by accident trying to learn how to say this dudes name. im so glad i found this. and am extra pleased to see nearly 2 million other people have as well

[@theschooloflifetv]

Welcome!

[@connorpenfold3741]

mrjamesgrimes cool

[@tcpjh]

I think you should check out "Nerdwriter" if you haven't already. His channel is a great supplement to "School of Life" though he isn't a literature-only channel. In fact he's more into politics (sometimes) and movies in general. But it is Nerdwriter's approach for reviewing content in general which make it so valuable.

[@NoPainNoGain200]

asfsdsifyable a big thank you 💞💞💞😝

[@NoPainNoGain200]

asfsdsifyable 💯💞💞

[@alizamzam11]

"The goal of travel is to go to different places to find the missing part of our maturity " bang !!!!

[@antonk6359]

This guy wrote a story in 5 different languages when he was 8.

[@cathean19]

now thats impressive...

[@kilgoretrout6136]

I did not know that.

[@dagmarvandoren9364]

Goethe. Das lernten wir in der schule....

[@colinstewart1432]

That's just showing off!

[@Maedelrosen]

Reflects on the society around him just as much. A plant in coffee beans won't grow, needs proper soil.

[@Benny1196]

I did my secondary education in Austria and we spent almost an entire year of German classes on Goethes literature and life. I used to hate it as a child but your video just reminded me that in retrospect I really appreciate having read his works. So thanks for this :).

[@Jjrmtv]

As providence would have it, I discovered this channel. Learning isn't just fundamental, it is essential. My days at university were filled with thought and promise, of hope and ambition. Now I reflect and collect thoughts that I have previously missed or ignored. Great way to fill in the spaces of my own pursuit for knowledge. And yes, enjoy the comments posted. There is a vibrancy that we all share. Bravo.

[@spinvalve]

Apparently missed the crucial part where Faust sells his soul in return for the devil's offer. There must be a reason why Goethe wrote it as such as opposed to merely a single-sided offer of powers.

[@fadi77fadi77]

+spinvalve What does the soul signify for Goethe?

[@spinvalve]

parasiticjustice no idea man.

[@theviolatedtwinky]

perhaps verisimilitude? No one would believe the devil would just offer power to someone. Or to signifying that all action has consequence?

[@owlthoughts]

+parasiticjustice Maybe it was related to Goethe's notion that one should "stop being so romantic." The soul might represent the innocence (romanticism) lost in order to achieve anything as an adult, regardless of the particular lifestyle chosen. To go on living, one must give up that soul/innocence. Then there is verisimilitude, which theviolatedtwinky mentioned. Mind you, I haven't read the book. That's just an off the cuff guess based on the impressions the video gave me about Goethe. Nice question. :)

[@deetercesler308]

+parasiticjustice I think it means one's own core humanity. Keep in mind biblical literacy would have been widespread, and the phrase/idea "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world but lose their soul?" would have been known. Even losing it to build an "ideal" society All the power + ability - your own humanity = Utter loss

[@MegaCrazydutchman]

7:27 the Dutch Republic was in decline since Stadholder-King William III of Orange's death, due to the merchant class investing in other countries instead of their own.This lead to division and conflict between the old Regent-class (bankers, merchants, landowners) and the new pro-enlightenment Patriot Party. The impending revolution was put down by Prussian military intervention in 1787, however the enlightened, unitary Batavian Republic was declared in 1795 after a succesfull French revolutionary/Dutch patriot invasion.

[@Vergil683]

WOW, i've never felt the urge so strong to compliment someone. Your clips are so deep in such a short time. The summarys of your topics are just so on point that nano technology can look up to you. KEEP ON WITH THE GOOD WORK!!!

[@weltgeist2604]

> i've never felt the urge so strong to compliment someone. >wot

[@78rupp]

The noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times.

[@ramzichouk4080]

+William Rupp you should read about Mohammed's life

[@bartkaian9031]

+Black Knight nice try, but i doubt the achievements of ravi and the anonymous black knight hold a candle to this. Ravindoes have a great speaking voice thouhj.

[@78rupp]

+Black Knight Indeed, these videos aren't the whole cake, but they give you a whiff and incite the appetite.

[@emandalosvek4054]

+William Rupp It's more than a whiff, it's a taste sample of the tastiest bits as they try to summarize the background leading up to a personal discovery and the reasoning behind personal conclusions. A whiff would be telling you the questions the video is tackling and the general approach taken as in stoic, melancholy and so on but not specifics.

[@cetinfiliz_]

Dear Alain and the team Thank you for this inspiring video. I have been learning and instructing German for while and i can clearly state that this video mention very crucial information about Goethe and i firmly believe that your page will go huge! and i will be saying 'I'm here from this Goethe Video' :). Thank you for your contribution! Regars from Istanbul

[@anka5486]

+The School of Life ı really like watchin your videos but the language u use aint so easy to understand without any subtitle

[@kathi616]

greetings from germany :)

[@StacyGZhang]

What a brilliant production! Both the messages and the animation work.

[@EdsonHistorian99]

The happiest man in the world is one who knows how to recognize the merits of others and can rejoice in the good of others. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1821

[@LNER4771]

I've seen Goethe's house in Frankfurt. It's not hard to miss, just look for the old building between the skyscrapers.

[@Mehdz03]

I love this channel. I never thought I would find a channel where people talked and educated me in things I was interested in, such as philosophy and literature. Keep it up.

[@Crystallinesonic]

Aspiring 18th-century European literature doctoral student here. Thanks for this!

[@geoffalan1857]

Damn shame you don't have more views than 300,000, it's probably not 5% of videos on KZbin as good as this this is truly a master class it how you do something right with the visual video form

[@kevinprinceofdarkne]

One of the best activities I ever got into for intellectual development was what you might call ' dictionary surfing ' looking for the meaning of one word and finding another that I needed to look up. The Pears Cyclopaedia was very good for this. And now I have found ' The School of Life ' website. Of course the internet suits me generally but this site in particular gets me filling in all sorts of my many gaps. Good Work! Thank you for what you do.

[@j.miguel6193]

Be more like Goethe? *goethe be kiding me*

[@DarryanDhanpat]

João Miguel I Kant even Handel it

[@Jess-nz7be]

Δαρείος XD

[@sirswearsalot1813]

@Do Not Reply oh

[@danielemondmusic]

Shopenhauer you gonna do that

[@marcorodvas]

so his name is where the Goethe-Institut got its name?

[@phanthomasonu]

You mean the Ger-ter Institute? exactly!

[@Cjnw]

r/yadontsay

[@alexandrecartier4895]

no it's the other way around. His real name was Fritz Von Shittenmeinpäntz and his editor thought he'd better get a "nom de plume" with a nicer ring to it

[@danielb9355]

Faust is a fucking masterpiece. It is one of those rare literary works which speaks to you and elevates one to realms sublime.

I thought the real moral of Faust was (as I learned it in high school) that when you make a deal with the devil in order to achieve your goals, you are never going to find true fulfillness. But, I guess the interpretation you gave makes sense too. Cheers. :)

[@MutantsInDisguise]

So is mine.

[@RagingGoblin]

Well, that's a very strong opinion. I like your content but I feel like you're a bit too invested in pointing how what a fine human being he was. He wasn't. Like every man, he had problems -- and lots of them. He often chased women that were spoken for or even engaged or married. He was a true academic megalomaniac, working to publicly undermine his contemporary rivals with utter ruthlessness. Goethe was a sensitive, awkward, brilliant reclusive. His true brilliance wasn't how he led his personal life, which -- the way I have always seen it -- was more than a bit of a struggle. His brilliance is his stunning, humbling deep thinking, his structuralistic genius, his unprecedented clarity and crispness in his lyrical works that, while flirting with the verbose and flowery, are truly distilled down to the last drop of meaning. Nobody disputes what an academic mastermind he was. Honestly, if German were the world language, all non-native English speakers would read Goethe instead of Shakespeare. But, as a person, he was honestly a bit of an asshole. Read his letters and essays.

[@mistyb5240]

RagingGoblin that’s your opinion. Who gives a fuck what you think? Lol

[@aristhenes1563]

@@mistyb5240 You're a bit of a scumbag, instead of tackling his points head on, you just insult him without contributing nothing.

[@dusanspica2524]

As a person who is a student of "German Language and Literature", I must say your comment is spot on.

[@harrisp584]

@@mistyb5240 you're such a loser

[@thorsten8790]

Goethe was the greatest aristocrat that ever lived, or atleast close to it.

[@JohnAchterhofQED]

5:37 "For Goethe...the aim of travel is to go to a place where we can find a missing ingredient of our own maturity."

[@mrh4900]

Just started learning about Goethe today, I’ve heard of him briefly, and have seen him often recommended... weirdly enough, I too went to Italy in an attempt to better find myself years ago, although I went to Florence instead of Rome, and I enjoyed my time there very much. In all honesty though, Rome was kind of disappointing in some ways, but Florence is definitely one of the most amazing cities in the world. Staying there really did open my eyes in many ways. Although, I will say, as great as Italy is, Greece has captured my heart. This video has made me really curious about Goethe though, so kudos for that. Thumbs up.

[@geoffalan1857]

Man, most historical videos like this are vanilla generic and boring. This however was a roller coaster tour de force. you take us on a much more personal journey then I really ever have seen when describing History. I found myself saying about three quarters of the way through-- man is narrator is awesome. Props to you and your team I'm assuming that you have; this was extremely well done. Another favorite of mine was the seemingly classical art style used to depict Goethes life. All the imagery was symbolic you're breathtaking it wasn't just showing a man and a study, you gave us especially during the scene where he falls in love for the first time with the pink clouds was just magical. It's all history was like this we wouldn't have made the mistake we just made this November, because we would all be much more invested and intelligent on the matter. I can only hope that every Gradeschool kids sees this at some point this is truly a masterpiece and that is not an understatement at all. Props! 10/10

[@stitch3762]

You're one of the greatest channels on KZbin and very clearly explain extraordinarily complex concepts. Thank you. I was wondering if you could work your magic on Post Modernism, as I'm having an extremely hard time understanding it.

[@stitch3762]

+The School of Life Wow! Thanks!

[@tdizzle3956]

Thats because it's bullshit.....

[@sifridbassoon]

wonderful video. took me straight to my German Lit class, back when I was 22, and I asked my instructor "how can Goethe be such a big Classicist and such an incorrigible Romantic? "

[@esteban578]

Wow I have never hear of Goethe and listening to this made me love this mans intellect why haven't I heard of him before

[@xbeast1ny0m4m4]

well, you heard of him 4 years from now

[@esteban578]

@@xbeast1ny0m4m4 still love this mans brain today :)

[@dagmarvandoren9364]

Because.....we lost the war...... It all goes hand in hand......but now. You know......thank you.....oe. is an umlaut in german. Not difficult. Remember, we can say thrrockmorrton....in English. Not easy. Haha

[@milagiganticurchod6138]

The beauty in having and/or developing an inquisitve mind - specially based on honourable values = no room for boredom as each day present us many challenges to test our character. Heathy curiosity is somehow like education = it never ends

[@filipzennn6193]

Now i’m reading Wilhelm Meister’s apprenticeship and travels by Goethe and I’m simply delighted by it.

[@MikeFuller-ok6ok]

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ( 1749 - 1832 ) German poet, novelist, playwright, scientist, lawyer, theatre director, philosopher, statesman, critic, polyglot, and artist.

[@Luca-dn3ny]

Thank you School of Life for making this one!

[@MrLenoir99]

Oh my Gosh!!!! The Pantheon in Rome is not "a Baroque church designed by Bernini" (but a Roman temple converted to a christian basilica in the 7th century). Bernini made minor (and horrible) changes to it that were quickly scrapped.

[@istdochegal6592]

Is it weird to watch an English video about Goethe when you are German? :D I like Goethe, especially Faust but I really really hated Werther.. I was just wishing that he would die soon while I was reading it

[@menefestag8850]

ging mir ebenso mit Werther :D. ich bin momentan übrigens an einer spanischen Uni, an der Studenten deutscher Philologie Faust auf Spanisch übersetzt lesen, da wird die ganze Sache richtig seltsam sag ich dir :D

[@mihoma1769]

+istdoch egal there are many videos on youtube about German culture (well, like Goethe and all those great personalities which created liturature and philosophy). It's not really available in German (yay, deutsches KZbin, Daggi Bee

[@chrisiji03]

+istdoch egal Werther ist doch wunderbar

[@soslothful]

+istdoch egal Yes. Werther is a pile of rubbish.

[@somgesomgedus9313]

+istdoch egal Ich fand die Leiden des jungen Werhters total gut! Mich hat die Geschichte sehr mitgerissen

[@marcpadilla1094]

Goethe was everybody's friend. Wealthy,creative, and a gentleman.

[@bolivar1789]

This is the poem I love the most by Goethe: JOYFUL AND SORROWFUL ( Freudvoll und Leidvoll) To be joyful, sorrowful, thoughtful To long and fear in suspenseful pain Rejoicing to heaven, grieved to death Happy alone is the soul that loves Beethoven composed this poem! You must listen to it on youtube from Birgit Nilsson. What a voice...( Liszt composed it too, in case you want to listen to both versions. ) By the way, if you enjoyed this lesson you really must listen to John Armstrong's excellent speech on Goethe. Then you will also want to read his book "Love, Life , Goethe. How to be Happy in an Imperfect World". What I liked the most on that speech was the part about Goethe's " imaginary friends"! Even though he never met them ( since they were dead! ) , he felt a certain inner connection, like a friendship with those people whom he admired. Like Albrecht Dürer, or Andrea Palladio. What a great idea to look for friends from the cultural past! If you are familiar with their work you can have endless conversations with them inside your head and try to look at this or that situation through their eyes. It is as if you would carry your folks inside you. How very practical:-) We also learn from that speech that Goethe wrote another novel called Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, 20 years after Werther. If I understood it properly , this one didn't blow his head off and he even learnt how to use it. So if you are desperately in love, you better go for Wilhelm rather than Werther. Lots of poems by Goethe had been composed by great composers. Here is a little list of those I love the most. I wrote the name of a particularly wonderful singer next to them. They are all on youtube: 1. Meine Ruh ist hin, Schubert ( Barbara Bonney) 2. Erster Verlust , Ach wer bringt die schönen Tage, Schubert ( Dietrich Fischer Diskau) 3. Die Trommel Gerühret/ Freudvoll und Leidvoll, Beethoven ( Birgit Nilsson ) 4. Zum sehen geboren- Lied Lynceus des Türmers, Schumann ( Hermann Prey) 5. Erlkönig, Schubert ( Thomas Quasthoff) 6.. Tiefe Stille herscht im Wasser, Meeres Stille, Schubert ( Hans Hotter ) Thank you very much for this wonderful lesson as always!

[@the_vishalparihar]

I think you've done research on Goethe more than this channel. Amazing!

[@bolivar1789]

@@the_vishalparihar Hello Vishal! Thanks a lot for reading this. Have a wonderful Sunday :- )

[@the_vishalparihar]

@@bolivar1789 same to you! I was listening to your songs. Your voice is sweet. Can you please tell me in which language they are?

[@bolivar1789]

@@the_vishalparihar Hello Vishal. Thank you for visiting my channel. I sing in Turkish. But on my channel there is a song in Greek ,a couple of songs in Brazilian Portuguese and Spanisch too. Have a nice evening!

[@the_vishalparihar]

@@bolivar1789 wow! you are genius Lua. I think one must have to take 2-3 births to learn these many languages exept he/she is Milton, Goethe or You ;-) Keep it up. Have a great day!

[@lilasky2178]

This is terrific. And it also led to an utterly inspiring comment section. Seems you made us learn from Goethe real fast.

[@DevendraSingh-pn5yg]

You guys are doing awesome work by introducing these philosophers to the wider audience....People like me who have questions and get entangled in them....this provides some answers...there are no solutions as we know it ;)

[@OfficeBatz]

The animation in this is probably one of the best ones you guys have done so far

[@josephm.6453]

sees the school of life notification. stops everything & watch the video :D

[@jozan9]

*le sexy times with GF* GF: Hmm, yes! Don't stop!! Cellphone: *Boop Plim* Joseph: *Gets up immediately and starts running toward the computer* GF: For fucks sake, not another School of Life video...

[@shadowsgate0]

+jozan9 well at least she isn't mad its video games :P

[@MustafaKulle]

+Joseph M. So do I. Always worth it.

[@rfpeace]

+Joseph M. Mee 2!

[@windstorm1000]

;)

[@KeskinCookin]

His style of writing is delightful.

[@leofeza9325]

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free" Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

[@rajamtee9142]

i'm really glad that i discovered this channel on youtube today ,i literly passed the whole afternoon watching this beautiful ,informativ ,well done videos about the most significant and influential personas of the human history ,thank you soo much for your great effort , un grand biseau from germany😘

[@nekodayo42]

Baudelaire plsss :D

[@vincenzoanzoletti1296]

a poet.

[@mariochartouni]

@@vincenzoanzoletti1296 the Prince of Poets.

[@frd8798]

silmarilion Who?

[@etank7055]

we all want to be loved and to give it back, but we also must acknowledge the drawbacks of giving so much, therefore live to love but with a higher purpose.

[@somethingtodiefor1]

My phone buzzed to inform me that there was a new video - and that too Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Politely tells the clients that there was an emergency and spent 10:44 away. Best decision ever :D

[@percangle4200]

i find these videos to come me down thank u for having such a comfortable voice

[@upamanyusharma7725]

Finally a youtube channel which makes me think.

[@pamelagraceatendido4369]

You didn't mention Goethe's contribution in evolutionary theory. During his time, people believed that the intermaxillary bone was not found in humans but only in lower animals including primates. However this argument contradicts Goethe's idea that all life forms in nature are interconnected. Later on, he discovered the remnants of the intermaxillary bone in the upper cheekbones of human infants. Initially, the scientists during his time ridiculed his work, but later on the following years, his work was recognized as the first real concept of evolution. His other works in sciences also became the precursor in morphology and comparative anatomy.

[@couch_philosoph3325]

you neither read werther nor faust (i speak german and read both in the original language). werther wasnt unhappy, because couples have problems (she isnt called scarlett btw, shes called lotte), he was unhappy because they could never ever be together. werther belongs to the lower class, lotte already has a husband and belongs to a higher class. in the end, werther shoots himself, because the world is injuste (also because of other things than status) and because hell never have lotte. goethe put himself at risk writing such a critical work about the class system. also faust is not a guiding work at all. like where do you even get that from. faust initially wants to gain knowledge about things that people before him couldnt answer. he seeks to know everything about anything. he studied philosophy, medicine and many more, but nothing gives him all the knowledge he strives for. he makes an oath with mephistoteles and hopes to get knowledge he otherwise wouldnt get. but on this way, faust, because he is human, commits terrible things. he falls in love with a girl, impregnates her, kills her mother and her brother and in the end, she becomes insane and kills herself. if you read it, it will make more sense, but nevertheless, he makes terrible decisions and in the end, does not gain the knowlege he wanted. so wtf school of life, get your facts together

[@mistermrrm]

Thank you goddamnit !

[@le_puke7058]

+Rafaela Scheiwiller While i think the name is an translation issue(he says Charlotte not Scarlett. Lotte is short for Charlotte), the whole plot of the love story was not exlpained well by him. So in this regard you are right

[@yaddayadda82]

Rafaela Scheiwiller the overall arc of the story is explained pretty well in the prologue in heaven. "Man errs as long as he strives." "A good man in his dark urges is well aware of the right way." So right from the start the Lord already knows that Faust will be do wrong but will redeem himself in the long run, as he does at the end of the story. His desire for knowledge and power and the Ultimate is all part of the path and at the end he does reach his goal: an ultimate moment that redeems him

[@amadeojacohinde3630]

Jajaja you just said same things as the video but with different words. The Video never says that couple problems are the Werther dilema: it says that Goethe could see that love is not all about happyness, laughs and beautiful moments. Werther never thinks about this side of love, thats what makes him a romanticist (in Goethes definition, a weak Man with a weak ideology to deal with life) If you really want to understand Goethes mind and ideals, you should read his Conversations with Eckerman.

[@alanmarques3910]

Obrigado por esclarecer melhor para nós, Rafaela.

[@MatiasAlric]

Wow, I like how after all the explanation we can hear silence... like it gives us time to process what we just saw.

[@stefaniecarina1115]

As a German, I love how you pronounce his name 😂

[@corinnae.7877]

Immer. Hey, wenigstens versucht er es und es klingt nicht zu übel tbh.

[@ice.k4049]

@@corinnae.7877 was laberst du?

[@corinnae.7877]

@@ice.k4049 Könnte dich das gleiche fragen, was willst du von mir?

[@jonathanblislio1611]

Should it sound like goo-ta? I am not German so I am curious

[@corinnae.7877]

@@jonathanblislio1611 No, no a. "-the" needs to be pronounced how it is. The T is pronounced rather hard, the H needs to be hearable. It's hard to explain.

[@lohkoonhoong6957]

Question:-- How can we know ourselves? Goethe's Answer is this:-- Never by reflection, But by action. Try to do your duty And you will soon find out what you are. But What's your duty? The demands of each day.

[@bethlebee589]

I just spent the whole video freaking out about how I've been pronouncing Goethe my entire life

[@gforcedod]

Thank you for making my life easier, by treating us with your unbiased knowledge.

[@marcoscastillojaen1888]

Un genio de la literatura, la poesía y el pensamiento filosófico.

[@ronaldolzheim363]

4:45 --> Link with the gladiator: ´Rome is not a place,, it´s a people´ --> marcus aurelius.

[@TwisttidWorld]

Finally another Literature video! I've been waiting awhile.

[@TwisttidWorld]

Yeah, I understand. Keep them coming, though. What are your plans for the next episode?

[@TwisttidWorld]

Oh, nice!

[@ayeshaahmad4953]

Science and arts hand in hand... Very few people appreciate the combination. I wish our teachers were a bit like him.

[@primitivism]

perfect timing! I just started reading my first Goethe for school (Faust; I'm from Germany)

[@primitivism]

+The School of Life hehe thank you! without your channel I wouldn't even know who that is

[@vladimirarellano3715]

I watch these video as time goes by and as I mature and every time I hear something different - language is beautiful

[@MustafaKulle]

Finally some literature. Yipeeee! This author is awesome! The real life lessons here are a wonderful bonus, Thank you.

[@yellowburger]

Goethe is a good example of my half-ass theory on genius. Basically there are two types of brilliant minds. One type consists of those who are incredibly creative, but most creative people tend to be weak in terms of rational thinking, at least in a mathematical or scientific sense. The second type are stunningly brilliant rational thinkers, able to solve problems of math or formal logic that the creative types can't even grasp on a basic level. The true genius, the Einstein's, the Goethe's, the Da Vinci's, these are those extremely rare few who excel at both creativity and rational thought.

[@mustacheBpf]

Great video, as usual! My only gripe with some of your videos( including this one) is the ease with which you spoil the ending of some great literary works. I know, I know! They are classics. I was supposed to know everything about them already. Still, as a young person( only 17), I did not have the time to read every work that is considered a classic. Haven't lived that long. It would be nice if, in the future, you would put a spoiler warning in the description. Excuse my English. Not my first language. P.S: Love the channel! Probably my favorite! You people ignited my interest in philosophy! Keep up the great work.

[@stellamonde]

+Dan Milian the thing about many classics is that it's not necessarily the ending, or even the story that's the most interesting. Many are written so well, you will enjoy the whole reading experience! Goethe's Faust was one of them for me. I underlined and wrote down many sentences and expressions, for example when he talks about how the trees sway in the wind, and how that sound fills the forest... You will most certainly get a lot out of these classics, even when The School of Life spoiled the ending for you :)

[@EvilThunderB0lt]

Faust is a work you can keep for a lifetime, don’t worry about someone saying a few bits and pieces

[@gavloft]

I have voyaged across all corners of the internet and this channel is a great oasis in the vast internet ocean.

[@theodoricteh8207]

Could you do a video entirely dedicated to "The Sorrows of Young Werther" ?

[@Leonidas.Vergos]

This is so amazing. I love all of our videos! My favourite are the ones about Socrates and Freud... But I think that a video about Homer is a MUST! The so-called First Teacher by the Ancient Greeks definitely has a lot to offer us and deserves our attention!

[@lucasgundi]

please mae a video on hermann hesse

[@TheSec09]

"The sorrows of the Young Werther" is one of the most acclaimed epistolary novels (is made through the correspondence between the main character Werther and his friend Wilhelm) and one of the most important novels in the Sturm und Drang period in German literature. Also, it influenced the later Romantic movement.

[@JLar-bb5hl]

Horrible book! Despicable message! Read the Bible instead of devilish writings making people want to kill themselves, folks! A true Illuminati indeed, Mr. Goethe!

[@jackdarby2168]

Yeah it's true Goethe was influenced by demons or something. Definitely perverted

[@alabamaisyourdaddy6137]

@@JLar-bb5hl If you seriously think that The Sorrows of Young Werther is advocating suicide, that conforms you literally know nothing and have never read it to begin with. One of the central themes of the book is the dangers of unrestrained passion, the other is that many of the things we think are so important in our youths turn out to be not so important as we age.

[@JLar-bb5hl]

@@alabamaisyourdaddy6137 "Conforms"? I conform to nothing - that was your own freudie. Neither have I said anything about advocating. The result, however, were a wave of suicides at the time - just like the Devil had planned. - And yes, I have read the piece of whatever. You probably think Crime and Punishment is a masterpiece too? It'sfrom the same, dark side - prying into the mind of a criminal for 500 pages. What's that done to millions of Russians being forced to read it as children? Woe!

[@Obtaineudaimonia]

I can feel my brain cells increasing. Good job on the video.

[@Jacob-jg6cd]

Goethe was truly a force of nature. I can think of few writers who have lived such incredible lives.

[@AnotherGradus]

I remember in an high school English class calling him "G-ough-th" (rhyming with stove) and my teacher didn't correct the pronunciation. Worst oral report on "Nietzsche's Apollonian and Dionysian approaches to Art" ever.

[@soslothful]

+Paul Keefer Well if all these people used good, pure and pronounceable English names we wouldn't have these problems.

[@deadvodka]

+soslothful Welcome, to the world of diversity!

[@soslothful]

deadvodka Unity!

[@MikeGreenwood51]

To Paul Keefer May I ask what subject you were studying where those three were part of the exam? Philosophy, maybe? TY.

[@therobin980]

soslothful stupidity

[@louisehogg8472]

Very interesting. Have always vaguely wondered about him, but being a scientist, have never sought out this info until now.

[@davidtoyra8757]

"Napoleon boasted that he had read it seven times" For some reason that made me laugh out loud.

[@joelwesko1812]

Wow what a deep and powerful writer bringing together the most insightful and meaning words mixed with a brilliant mind combine to create great literature

[@NotNewton1]

Do one on dante

[@beegeebad3193]

"But you didn't have to cut me off Make out like it never happened And that we were nothing And I don't even need your love But you treat me like a stranger And that feels so rough.."

[@nadjamladenovic8112]

Another awesome biography, thank you so much. It would be so cool if you did one on Dostoevsky in this series. Cheers!

[@moshefabrikant1]

5:25 Goethe wrote a perfect life for him and released it 7:40 The perfect ideal and how can you kick it by the ass.

[@Bram06]

0:45 eu4 or ck2 players will know that this must have been the hardest job in the world

[@SKYcry321]

The like to view ratio really shows how good of a job "The school of life" is doing. Never stop doing what you are doing, since there is no one out there better.

[@efaelka1]

GER_TER? ^^ NO!!! if you actualy wanna say the name without learning the german "ö"-sound, then the closest you can get is as follows: 1. "goe" g and "oe" the "oe" sounds closest to the "u" in the english "burn", so just say the "u" and put a "g" in front then you have ""goe" 2. "the" : althou it looks like the english article "the" it sound like in the english word "tell" but without the "ll" just a short "te" now put it together (1. goe 2. te = goe-te) and you have a very close aproximation of the actual german sounding word "goethe"

[@sirswearsalot1813]

Goatee?

[@EvilThunderB0lt]

I’m sorry but that seems way too long-winded of an explanation when it doesn’t help. Goethe, Goo-teh but more like uh.

[@leedraconis5793]

efaelka1 the way he pronounced it was pretty fine though? If you want English speakers to understand how to pronounce the umlaut you have to be simple lmao

[@vitis6252]

It's not how you teach a not native speaker to pronounce that sound. You just make them open and position their mouth as if to pronounce O and then without changing this position say U.

[@franceleeparis37]

Easier to say ‘goatherd’ with a silent ‘d’

[@maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark]

Just reading Faust, awesome stuff.

[@wertzui995]

Please make a video about the Persian poet Rumi !

[@SkyeID]

I didn't know they made a movie of Faust until I saw this video. Apparently, the 1926 version of Faust is on You Tube, and the quality of the film is pretty good for a 90 year old movie.

[@nunezinkgaming]

the true and only ubermensch

[@Uxelus]

before Nietzsches death now its maybe hawking

[@yaddayadda82]

+Uxelus I would disagree about hawking

[@mikefuller6959]

Me too, there are about 10 or 20 theoretical physicists alive today as or more brilliant than he is! I would put John von Neumann ( 1903 -1957 ) as the most intelligent person who has ever lived! Goethe ( 1749 - 1832 ) German Poet, Writer and Scientist. His masterpiece is the 2 part play 'Faust'. He proposed a 'Theory of Colours'. A CRAP Mathematician!

[@thorstenpeter7544]

kafka.

[@superyoism]

We all would

[@Kickerz86]

What a beautiful KZbin channel. I'm glad I've found it. Specially this episode about one of my favourite writers of all time: GOETHE! I'm also glad to read and learn about the pronunciation of his name (thanks to the video itself and the comments). Greetings from Cuenca, Ecuador...