Zeitgeist means epochal spirit, weather spirit or sign of the times. It's a German word.
Zeitgeist is the set of the intellectual and cultural climate of the world, at a certain time, or the generic characteristics of a certain period of time.
The concept of Zeitgeist was introduced by Johann Gottfried Herder and other German Romantic writers. In 1769, Herder wrote a critique of the work of philosopher Christian Adolph Klotz, introducing the word Zeitgeist.
Zeitgeist the Movie is a 2007 film produced by Peter Joseph that tackles themes such as Christianity, the September 11 attacks and the Central Bank of the United States of America. In 2008, a second film was released, a continuation of the first, called Zeitgeist: Addendum, in which it deals with themes such as globalization.
There is also the Zeitgeist Movement, which is a global sustainability activist group that works to unite the world with the common goal of species sustainability. It is a social movement, with more than 1,100 chapters in almost every country.