Geisteswissenschaft

"Geisteswissenschaft" (more frequently used in plural form "Geisteswissenschaften") is a traditional division of faculty in German Universities that would include subjects such as Philosophy, Theology, and Jurisprudence. Most of its subject matter would come under the much larger Humanities faculty in the typical English speaking University, but it does not contain any arts.

The concept dates back to 18th and 19th centuries german idealism, in particular to Hegels concept of a "Volksgeist", the alleged common spirit, or rather: mind of a people. Some authors, including Husserl and Rudolf Steiner, have used it quite deviantly to mean actually "Spiritual Science" or "Science of Spirit".

Example Usage

From "Kulturgeschichte Frankreichs", Suchanek-Fröhlich, S. p 633:

Man hat Taine vorgeworfen, dass er, dessen Hauptziel die Einführung naturwissenschaftlicher Methoden in die Geisteswissenschaften war, selbst nicht induktiv, sondern deduktiv vorging.

Translation

Some reproach Taine in that he himself, whose goal was the introduction of the methods of natural science into the "Geisteswissenschaften", proceeded from methods which were not inductive but rather deductive.