wijsgerige

Wijsgerige is a Dutch adjective used to describe matters related to philosophy or that are philosophical in nature. The term is often encountered in academic, literary, and historical contexts and is closely associated with discourses that emphasize conceptual analysis, normative inquiry, and critical argumentation rather than empirical description. In contrast to more empirical or scientific language, wijsgerig language signals engagement with fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, value, mind, and reality.

In Dutch, wijsgerige refers to topics, methods, or traditions that pertain to wijsbegeerte (philosophy). The adjective can modify nouns in various domains, for example wijsgerige analyse (philosophical analysis), wijsgerige tradities (philosophical traditions), or wijsgerige ethiek (philosophical ethics). The term is somewhat formal and may carry a slightly traditional or scholarly nuance; in more contemporary or everyday usage, filosofisch is often preferred, though wijsgerig remains common in historical or specialist writing.

Related concepts include filosofie (philosophy) and wijsbegeerte, the latter being the Dutch term more broadly used for the discipline of philosophy. Wijsgerige discussions frequently intersect with disciplines such as ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and the history of philosophy, reflecting the broad scope of philosophical inquiry within Dutch-language scholarship.

See also: wijsbegeerte, filosofie, filosofisch, ethiek, metafysica.