Discourse on Thinking

Published first in German in 1959, this translation now makes available two pieces by the noted German existentialist. The first part publishes a Memorial Address delivered by Heidegger in commemoration of the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the German composer, Conradin Kreutzer. The second consists of a Dialogue between a scientist, a teacher, and a scholar, and dates from 1944-45. The common theme in both is Heidegger's concern for "meditative thinking," in contrast to the "calculative thinking" that characterizes modern science. Modern man is in flight from true thinking, and can only recover his "rootedness" by a recovery of a commitment that will free him from his bondage and enable him to pass on to what is ultimate. Such thinking brings a "releasement toward things" and an "openness to the mystery." The style is characterized by a certain poetic handling of words, suggesting the tone of the mystics. A glossary of the principal German terms with their English equivalents is provided, along with a helpful introduction by John M. Anderson. Useful as an introduction to Heidegger's later thought, both to scholars, and to lay readers personally concerned with the question the author discusses. (Kirkus Reviews)