Gedanken

Gedanken is the plural noun in German meaning "thoughts," with the singular Gedanke meaning "a thought." In everyday language, Gedanken refers to the contents of one’s mind, reflections, or ideas. The word is frequently used in both informal and formal contexts and forms part of many compound terms.

Etymology: Gedanken derives from denken "to think" with the standard German plural suffix -en applied to the noun Gedanke; the root Gedanke is itself built from denken and -e. The plural Gedanken literally corresponds to "thoughts" or "ideas."

Usage: In scholarly, philosophical, and scientific discourse, Gedanken appears in compounds such as Gedankenexperiment (thought experiment) and Gedankengang (train of thought). Gedankenexperimente are hypothetical scenarios used to reason about consequences without physical implementation; they are common in physics, philosophy, and cognitive science. The term is often used to describe deliberate reasoning conducted purely in the mind.

Notable uses: The concept of a Gedankenexperiment is closely associated with Einstein, who employed such reasoning to explore principles of relativity, quantum mechanics, and other areas. Schrödinger's cat is a famous example of a thought experiment, frequently described in German as a Gedankenexperiment.

See also: Gedanke, Gedankenexperiment, Gedankengang.