Wirklichkeit

Wirklichkeit is a German philosophical term designating what is real in the sense of actual, existent and causally efficacious, as opposed to mere possibility, appearance, or imagination. The word combines Wirk- (to work, to have effect) with -lichkeit (a suffix forming abstract nouns), conveying the status of something that has real effect or actual being.

In German-speaking philosophy the term is used to distinguish the concrete world of fact from theoretical ideas or appearances. It is often discussed in relation to Erscheinung (appearance) and, in various traditions, to Realität or Ding an sich. In Kantian and post-Kantian debates, Wirklichkeit is treated as the domain of objects as they are given in experience and as they can be investigated, whereas Erscheinung concerns how they appear to us.

Across later philosophy, the concept shifts toward analyses of lived or social reality (Soziale Wirklichkeit) and the question how social practices, institutions, or language constitute what is real. In phenomenology and existentialism, Wirklichkeit is tied to how beings disclose themselves and how the world shows up to consciousness; in those contexts the concrete, lived world is central to the notion of Wirklichkeit.

Usage today: In philosophy, sociology, and cultural theory, Wirklichkeit remains a common way to refer to the “real world” conditions that shape thought and action, including social, political, and material realities. The term continues to function as a bridge between abstract theorizing and the everyday sense of what is truly the case.