Vollkommenheit

Vollkommenheit is a German noun meaning perfection or completeness. Etymology: from voll (full) and kommen (to come), originally denoting fullness or wholeness and later the sense of flawlessness.

In philosophy and theology, Vollkommenheit denotes the highest degree of being or perfection attainable in a given domain. In theology, God is described as Vollkommenheit, the complete, perfect being, and moral and rational creatures are expected to strive toward Vollkommenheit through virtue and wisdom. Scholastic and later German thinkers discussed Vollkommenheit as an ideal standard that characterizes goodness and beauty, though humans can approximate it rather than achieve it fully.

In aesthetics and literature, Vollkommenheit can refer to a flawless execution, an unobtainable ideal of form, or an optimal balance of elements in a work of art. It is often contrasted with the more practical term Perfektion, which is common in everyday language; while Perfektion emphasizes faultlessness, Vollkommenheit also conveys fullness, completeness, and inner integrity.

In modern German usage, the term appears in phrases such as "zur Vollkommenheit bringen" (to bring to perfection) or "Vollkommenheit der Form" (perfection of form). It can be used philosophically, theologically, or poetically, with emphasis on the idea that true Vollkommenheit is an ideal rather than an achievable endpoint.

See also: Perfektion; Vollständigkeit; Kunsttheorie.