Erwägungen

Erwägungen is a German noun in the plural (the singular being Erwägung) that refers to considerations, deliberations, or factors weighed in making a decision. The word is derived from er-wägen, meaning to weigh up or evaluate. In everyday language, Erwägungen are the elements that someone takes into account when forming an opinion or choosing a course of action. The term emphasizes the process of weighing different factors rather than the conclusion itself. The verb form, to Erwägung ziehen, means to take into consideration or to contemplate.

In a legal context, Erwägungen denote the reasoning or justification behind a decision. Court judgments often present their Erwägungen as a structured account of facts, applicable law, precedents, and the logical steps that lead to the ruling. The Erwägungen provide transparency and invite scrutiny, showing how the legal conclusions were reached. Beyond courts, Erwägungen can appear in legislative or administrative texts to describe the considerations that motivated a rule, regulation, or proposal.

Outside formal contexts, Erwägungen describe the general process of careful reflection. The phrase gründliche Erwägungen signals thorough and deliberate consideration of relevant factors. While synonyms such as Überlegung or Berücksichtigung are close in meaning, Erwägungen typically convey a systematic weighing of multiple aspects that influence an outcome. The term thus covers both the cognitive act of evaluating options and the concrete set of factors that inform a decision.