Axial Age
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28
CORE DEFINITION
Axial Age (also Axis Age, from the German Achsenzeit) is a term coined in 1949 by the German philosopher Karl Jaspers. It refers to broad changes in religious and philosophical thought that occurred in a variety of locations from about the 8th to the 3rd century BCE.
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Axial Age (also Axis Age, from the German Achsenzeit) is a term coined in 1949 by the German philosopher Karl Jaspers. It refers to broad changes in religious and philosophical thought that occurred in a variety of locations from about the 8th to the 3rd century BCE.
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Jaspers proposed that around 800-200 BCE, various civilizations simultaneously experienced intellectual breakthroughs. The mechanism is that the maturity of civilizations gave rise to reflections on the ultimate, the self, and ethics.
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- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_Ageverified
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