Home

Erscheinung

Erscheinung is a German noun derived from erscheinen, meaning to appear. It denotes an appearance, manifestation, emergence, or apparition of something as it is perceived or observed. In everyday language it can refer to the outward appearance or presentation of an object, person, or event. In science and medicine, the term is used for observed signs or symptoms, sometimes described as clinical appearances.

In philosophy, Erscheinung has a specialized use. In Kantian and post-Kantian German philosophy, it refers to

Beyond philosophy, the term is used in general language to describe outward manifestation in various contexts.

phenomena—the
objects
as
they
appear
to
us
through
the
forms
of
our
sensibility
and
the
categories
of
understanding.
It
contrasts
with
the
Ding
an
sich,
the
thing-in-itself,
which
remains
inaccessible
to
human
cognition.
The
concept
is
central
to
discussions
of
how
experience
structures
reality,
rather
than
to
questions
of
whether
things
exist
independently
of
perception.
In
the
later
work
of
Hegel,
Erscheinung
is
treated
as
a
moment
of
manifestation
within
the
dynamic
development
of
the
Absolute,
integrated
into
a
dialectical
process.
It
appears
in
phrases
such
as
das
Erscheinungsbild
(appearance,
image)
and
is
common
in
medical
and
clinical
contexts
to
denote
observable
signs
or
presentations
of
a
condition.
While
closely
related
terms
include
Erscheinungsform
(form
of
appearance)
and
Erscheinungsweise
(manner
of
appearing),
Erscheinung
remains
a
broad,
neutral
descriptor
of
how
something
presents
itself
to
perception.