Translation advice ( German - English)

Lxnvv

6 days ago

I am looking for the English translation of the German word "Endlichkeit". In my research so far I have found finitude, finiteness, finity? and transience. But I am looking for the philosophical translation. Everything can and will come to an end, in both a positive and negative sense. Perhaps someone can help me or even suggest another, more appropriate word.

4 comments

Tromsk•6 days ago

A lot of words don't have 1:1 analogs in english. Words like impermanent/impermanence or ephemeral/ephemerality might get at what you're looking for. There are also a few phrases I can think of that might get across the same feelings: "All things must end," "Nothing lasts forever," and "Time's arrow marches ever forward," (which I believe comes from physics, but I picked it up in the show Bojack Horseman)

HouseFrosty780•6 days ago

What sort of philosophy are you connecting it to? Transience sounds right to me based on the little definition you gave, but if you were drawing from Buddhist sources you might choose "impermanence" instead.

ProteusReturns•6 days ago

I would say, joking, 'temporally finite.' I personally like 'finitude.' Some others are 'ephemerality' or maybe 'impermanence.'

TeardropsFromHell•6 days ago

Finality. Mortality.