Two Quotes
The finitude of philosophy consists not in the fact that it comes against limits and cannot proceed further. It rather consists in this: in the singleness and simplicity of its central problematic, philosophy conceals a richness that again and again demands a renewed awakening.
--Martin Heidegger,
The Metaphysical Foundations of LogicAs for the meaning of Being, the meaning that the question of Being asks about, there exists another nice Zen dictum, entirely in Heidegger's spirit. It states that before concerning himself with Zen, a man sees mountains as mountains and waters as waters. Once he has attained a certain inner vision of the truth of Zen, he realizes that the mountains are no longer mountains and the waters no longer waters. But once he is illuminated, he again sees the mountains as mountains and the waters as waters.
--Rudiger Safranski,
Martin Heidegger: Between Good and Evil
4 Comments:
Safranski seems to be paraphrasing Caputo's The Mystic Element in Heidegger's Thought. Caputo has an extended section discussing this. Does Safranski footnote Caputo?
Actually he doesn't, but I'm sure Caputo is listed in the bibliographical section of the book.
Is Caputo's book any good? I have heard some good things about Caputo--the title though strikes me as an attack on Heidegger from an analytic perspective, which I'm sure it probably isn't.
Caputo is always a mixed bag, in my opinion. I think one gets from the book a desire by Caputo to see Heidegger as a mystic and then a kind of disappointment that he doesn't live up to the mystic ideal. However that's more a subtext. I think it is good, although I'd not advise it if you're not already familiar with Heidegger. The early sections on Ekhart and Leibniz are very, very good. Personally though I think if you are interested in that way of looking at Heidegger, especially the latter Heidegger, that Sikka's Forms of Transcendence is better. Indeed her book is one of my all time favorite books on Heidegger and I recommend it to almost everyone.
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