On The Nature Of Thinking
Decoding the first part of Martin Heidegger’s ‘What Is Called Thinking?’
Introduction to Heidegger
An influential 20th century German philosopher, Martin Heidegger is known for his contributions to the fields of hermeneutics, phenomenology and existentialism. He holds the belief that metaphysics of the modern era has been omnipresent and that there is no area left that is not subjected to its dominance.
Introduction to ‘What Is Called Thinking?’
At the University of Freiburg in 1951–52, Heidegger delivered a series of lectures (later turned into a book) addressing the question — “What is called Thinking?” Putting it very succinctly, Heidegger described thinking as “man’s simplest, and for that reason hardest, handiwork”.
This book of etymological-philosophical interpretations is thought to be the only systematic presentation of Heidegger’s philosophy, and a reinterpretation of his older work “Being and Time”.
As per Heidegger, Western philosophy missed the ‘true content of thought’. Ever since Plato, debate over the thinking about the Being of beings had lain dormant.
The three questions that this work addresses are:
1) What calls for thinking?
2) What has been called thinking?
3) What is called thinking rightly?
Learning How To Think
Heidegger said that one can only come to know what it means to think when one tries to think. For trying, one must be ready to first learn how to think.
He accepted that humans are rational animals. For us, the ability to reason about anything, anywhere and at all times is a necessary skill. A commonly accepted belief is that humans think simply because they can, but Heidegger believes that possibility does not entail capability.
To be capable of thinking, we first need to learn the process of thinking, and we learn when we are in search for answers to some particular questions. It is when we give our mind to what there is to think about that we actually learn how to (think).
What is Thought-Provoking?
Heidegger defined ‘thought-provoking’ to be something that in itself needs to be thought about. As per him, the most thought provoking thing is that we humans are still not thinking, even when the world around us is becoming more and more thought provoking as time passes. He also claimed that humans act too much and think too little.
On Interest
Interest means to be in the middle of things, claimed Heidegger. In other words, to validly fit into the category of interest, a thing must be interesting. Now, Heidegger said that a thing that is regarded as interesting one moment can be dismissed or be treated indifferently the next.
Heidegger stated that there isn’t sufficient evidence to believe that the general population has an interest in philosophy, even though there is clearly a serious preoccupation with it.
On Thinking and Withdrawal
As per Heidegger, the answer to the question — “What is called Thinking?”, cannot be answered with a definition or an explanation, as it is in itself a way, and we respond to the way by ‘remaining underway’. Whatever the answer might be, it would be a statement, and not a complete, settled proposition.
There is an enigmatic property attached to thinking, as it is responsible for bringing itself to its own light. It is called thinking when it answers to what is the most thought provoking. When we are free of prejudice, we find that the matter of thinking is more complex and confounding.
As the major reason for the absence of thought, he pointed out the withdrawal of the things that provide adequate food for thought, and not just that humans have cultivated too little of it. This withdrawal itself is what gives us proper food for thought, and is the most thought provoking. Once we identify what gives us food for thought, we must be prepared to learn how to think.
Science/Art Distinction
Thinking, for Heidegger, involved ‘a higher level of being’. He claimed that Art required thinking, making it ‘the higher form’; whereas in Science, thinking is not involved, thus reducing its significance.
Conclusion
One of Heidegger’s lines from the text stayed with me long after reading it. It is an answer to the question “What calls for Thinking?”
He said, “What of itself gives us most to think about, what is most thought-provoking, is this — that we are still not thinking.”
This book certainly calls for the nurturing of transformative thought within the reader’s mind.
For Heidegger, thinking is like a gift to humankind from Being. In other words, ‘thinking is thanking’ for being rational animals.
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