Thank you for starting this endeavor. I have no academic background in philosophy and need the sort of hand-holding that you say you want to provide. My first real contact with philosophy was when my son introduced me to Michael Segrue's Teaching Company lectures on casette tape.
I read Zohar Atkin's An Ethical and Theological An Appropriation of Heidegger's Critique of Modernity after reading Zohar's Substack and Eilenberger's Time of the Magicians. I managed to slog through The Question Concerning Technology but that was beyond my reach.
I am 85 now and have lived through the transition to the Age of Humans-as-Resources. I'm on the side of John Gray, Matthew Crawford, Mary Harrington: et al. I suppose that is small way I helped make that happened. My profession was first writing operating system software for early mainframe computers and later software supporting the engineers designing computers.
I wish you success in this Substack and, again, thank you.
Trips back to my hometown with my family are usually full of activity, but this weekend was especially full: a memorial, my daughter’s third birthday party, and Mother’s Day. Each marked time in a different way for me and for those around me. But with everything happening so close together, it was hard to find a quiet moment to pause and reflect on what it all means.
Now that we’ve made the return trip, and I see how long it has taken me to respond, I’m especially grateful for your comment. It is giving me a moment to pause and consider how easily reflection gets lost in the hustle.
Heidegger’s "The Question Concerning Technology" is, as you say, a challenging text. That is why I suggested "Memorial Address" might be a better place to begin. I hope you're finding that to be true, and I hope that in the future we can return to QCT together. I would truly value your perspective, especially given your unique background.
That said, I am already looking forward to your thoughts on what Heidegger calls “calculative thinking” in this text.
As we will see, his worry is not with technical or means-end thinking as such. He recognizes that this kind of thinking has its place. The problem is that it has become so dominant in modern Western culture that there is little space left for another way of thinking, one that is closer to what was once called contemplative thought (in its philosophical, not religious sense).
Because this contemplative mode is less and less supported by our culture, we are offered fewer chances to practice it, and less guidance in doing so. It becomes harder to reflect meaningfully on the passing nature of our lives.
My recent trip home was a reminder of that. It is so easy to move from one event to the next without making time to reflect on what those events mean for us personally.
Heidegger, along with a few other thinkers I hope to introduce in future series, have given me a sense for this: for what I all too often miss.
Thank you again for your comment, and for giving me the opportunity to remember that.
Thank you so much for your support and thoughtful comment, Tom! I’m currently traveling with my 2 and 1 year old but look forward to responding more fully once I’m settled. Until then.
Thank you for starting this endeavor. I have no academic background in philosophy and need the sort of hand-holding that you say you want to provide. My first real contact with philosophy was when my son introduced me to Michael Segrue's Teaching Company lectures on casette tape.
I read Zohar Atkin's An Ethical and Theological An Appropriation of Heidegger's Critique of Modernity after reading Zohar's Substack and Eilenberger's Time of the Magicians. I managed to slog through The Question Concerning Technology but that was beyond my reach.
I am 85 now and have lived through the transition to the Age of Humans-as-Resources. I'm on the side of John Gray, Matthew Crawford, Mary Harrington: et al. I suppose that is small way I helped make that happened. My profession was first writing operating system software for early mainframe computers and later software supporting the engineers designing computers.
I wish you success in this Substack and, again, thank you.
Hi again Tom,
Trips back to my hometown with my family are usually full of activity, but this weekend was especially full: a memorial, my daughter’s third birthday party, and Mother’s Day. Each marked time in a different way for me and for those around me. But with everything happening so close together, it was hard to find a quiet moment to pause and reflect on what it all means.
Now that we’ve made the return trip, and I see how long it has taken me to respond, I’m especially grateful for your comment. It is giving me a moment to pause and consider how easily reflection gets lost in the hustle.
Heidegger’s "The Question Concerning Technology" is, as you say, a challenging text. That is why I suggested "Memorial Address" might be a better place to begin. I hope you're finding that to be true, and I hope that in the future we can return to QCT together. I would truly value your perspective, especially given your unique background.
That said, I am already looking forward to your thoughts on what Heidegger calls “calculative thinking” in this text.
As we will see, his worry is not with technical or means-end thinking as such. He recognizes that this kind of thinking has its place. The problem is that it has become so dominant in modern Western culture that there is little space left for another way of thinking, one that is closer to what was once called contemplative thought (in its philosophical, not religious sense).
Because this contemplative mode is less and less supported by our culture, we are offered fewer chances to practice it, and less guidance in doing so. It becomes harder to reflect meaningfully on the passing nature of our lives.
My recent trip home was a reminder of that. It is so easy to move from one event to the next without making time to reflect on what those events mean for us personally.
Heidegger, along with a few other thinkers I hope to introduce in future series, have given me a sense for this: for what I all too often miss.
Thank you again for your comment, and for giving me the opportunity to remember that.
I hope to hear your thoughts as we move forward.
Thank you so much for your support and thoughtful comment, Tom! I’m currently traveling with my 2 and 1 year old but look forward to responding more fully once I’m settled. Until then.