The Land of Poets and Thinkers

I noted in my blog about our trip to Solnhofen that we were told about the difference between civilization and culture from a German's point of view. I'm reading a book now about recent German history (since the 18th century), and I came upon the same distinction. In the introduction to The German Genius by Peter Watson, the British historian explains that in German usage "Zivilisation means something which is indeed useful, but ... comprising only the outer appearance of human beings, the surface of human existence. The word through which Gemans interpret themselves, which more than any other expresses their pride in their own achievement and their own being, is Kultur."


Poets and Thinkers