The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays

214 Pages·1977·4.79 MB·English

by  Martin Heidegger

TheQ uestion
ConcerTneicnhgn ology
� and OtheErs sayX;s
MARTIN HEIDEGGER
Translataendd wiatnh I ntorductiboyn
WILLIAML OVITT
GARLANDP UBLISHINIGN,C .
New Yor&k L ondon
1977
THEQ UESTICOONN CERNTIENCGH NOLAONGDYO THERE SSAYESn.g ltirsahn slation
copyri@g 1h9t7 b7y H arpe& rR ow,P ublisIhnecrA.sl ,lr i ghrtess erved.
Prinitentd h eU nitSetda toefAs m eriNcoap .a rotft hibso omka yb eu sed
orr eprodiunca endym annewrh atsoweivtehro ut wpreirtmtiesensx icoenp t
int hcea se of brief quoitnact riiotnisc aelm baordtiiecdl es and reviews. For
informationH aardpde&r rRe osws,P ublishIenrc1s.0,,E as5t3 rSdt reet,
NewY orkN,. Y1.0 02P2u.b lisshiemdu ltanienoC uasnlaydb ayF itzhe&n ry
WhitesLiidmei ted, Toronto.
Desgined EbvyeC allahan
Thiesd itpiuobnl isbhyae rdr angewmietnHhta rp&e Rro wP,u blishIenrcs.,
LIBARRYO FC ONGRECSAST ALOGIINNP GU BLICADTAITOAN
HeidegMgaertri,1n 8,8 9-1976.
The question tceocnhcneornalinongdogy t ,he esrs ays.
Trnaslatoifeo snssa wyhsi cOhr igianpaplelayi rne d
DiTee chnuinkdd iKee hrHeo,l zweagnedV, o rtruangde
Aufsatze.
CONTENTTSh:eq uestcioonnc ertneicnhgn olTohgey .-
turn-iTnhge.w orodf N ietzs"cGhoeid:sd ead["e..t ]c
1.O ntoloAgdyd-resessessa,ly esc,et su.r2 .T ech­
nolo-gAyddrseesse,s salyescr,te us1..T itle.
B327H94.8Q4179 77 193 77-87181
ISB0N- 8240-2427-3
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface ix
Introduction xiii
PART I
TheQ uestiCoonn cerniTnegc hnology 3
TheT urning 36
PART II
TheW ordo fN ietzsc"hGeo:dI sD ead" 53
PART III
TheA geo ft heW orlPdi cture 115
ScienacnedR eflection 155
Acknowledgments
Ia m greatilnyd ebtteodP rofesJs.oGr l enGnr ayf ori nitiating
me inttoh ed emandianrgto ft ranslaHteiindge ggaenrdf oro ur
closaes sociaotvieotrnh ep asttw oy earisn,t hec oursoefw hich
hism eticulroeuvsi ewoifnm gy translatfoirot nhsiv so lumhea s
rescumeed f romm anyd angebrust l efmte largeflryet eo b uild
my ownw ay.
To ProfesGsroary a,s w elals t oP rofesHseoird eggheirm self,
lowet hankfso ra ccestsot heu npublisthreadn scroifpt twso
seminacrosn ductbeyH de ideggienFr r ance: "Setmeinnpuaa irr e
IeP rofessHeeuird eggseurrI eD ifferenzdseH cehgrelia"fn dt
"Semiinraet enauu T hore ns eptemb1r9e69 p arI eP rofesseur
MartiHne ideggeTrh.el" a tthearsh elpepdr ovitdheep erspective
form y Introducatnidob no,t hh avee nhancmeyd understanding
oft hef ivees saiynsc ludheedr e.
Thosoen t hef aculatnyds taafft C aliforSntiaatU en iversity,
Sacramenwthoo,h aveh elpeadn ds upportmeed i nm y worko n
thivso lumaer et oon umerotuosb ea cknowledegaecdih ndivid­
uallbyu,tI a m particuglraartleytf oum ly colleaignuG ee rman,
ProfesOsloarfK .P erflefro,rh ourosf i ntencsoen versaitni on
whicmha nys ecreotfts h eG ermaind iowme rer evealteomd e .
ToM oirNae utermwanh,o wamsy typifsrto mt heb eginning
oft hipsr ojeacltm osttot hel asatn,d t oM aryE llyMnc Geary,
viii Acknowledgments
hesru cscoersa,r e mdyus ep ectihaaln fkoser x ceptsikoinalanlld
care.
Everpya goef t hibso ookw eist fisn aslh apiinnvg e rlya rge
measutrote h iem aginaatnidrv ieg orsocursu toifmn yy wife,
Dr. HaBrrruinedta Lgoev iwthto,t, hougthr aiinnead n other
dicsiplhianse ,n boewc oimned ispuats acbhloayln adir n terpreter
ofH eidegigne rho ewrnr ight.
WILLIALMO VITT
Preface
Thee ssayisnt hibso okw eret akewni thH eideggepre'rsm ission
fromt hredei fferevnotl umeosfh isw orksD:i eT echniukn dd ie
Kehr(eP fullinGguennt:h eNre ske1,9 62)H;o lzweg(eF rankfurt:
VittoKrlioos terma1n9n5,2 )a;n dV ortriiugned A ufsiit(zPef ul­
lingeGnu:n theNre ske1,9 54l)i.T hQeu estiCoonn cernTiencgh ­
nologyi"sc ontainienbd o thD ieT echniukn dd ieK ehrea nd
Vortriiugned A ufsiitze.
InD ieT e chnik duinedK ehrteh ef ollowipnrge fatnoortye
appearrseg arditnhget woe ssay"sT,h eQ uestiCoonn cerning
Technolo(g"yD"i Fer agnea chd erT echnika"n)d" TheT urning"
("DiKee hre"):
Undert het it"lIen sigihntt Toh atW hichI s,t"h ea uthogra veo,n
Decembe1r,1 949i,nt heC luba tB remenf,o ulre cturwehsi,cw he re
repeated wiatlhtoeuratt iinot nhses prinogf1 950( Marc2hS and
26)a tB iihlerhTohhete i. tlweesr e" TheT hing[ "DaDsi ng""]E,n ­
framing["" DasG estell""T]h,eD anger["" DiGee fahr""]T,h e
Turnin[g""D iKee hre*" ].
Thef irlsetc tuwraes g iveinn a n expandevde rsioonn J une6 ,
1950b,e fotrhee B avariAacna demoyf F inAer ts(.S eVeo rtriiugned
Aufsiit1z9e5,4p ,p .1 63ff .)t
* Throughoutth et ranslatiionn tsh is volpuamer entheteilceamle nts
interpolabtye mde ares howni n bracketwsh,i let hosep resenitn t he
authoro'rsi gintaelx atr eg iveinn p arentheses.
t" TheT hingh"a sb eenp ublishiendP oetrLya,n guagTeh,o ught, trans.
AlberHto fstadt(eNre wY ork:H arpe&r Row,1 971)p,p .1 65-186.
x Preface
Thes econd lewcatsug irvee onn N ovembe1r8 ,1 955a,l sion a n
expandveedr siuonnd,e trh et it"lTeh eQ uestiCoonn cernTiencgh ­
nologyi,nt" h es erieenst it"lTehdeA rtisn t heT echnologAigcea.l"
(SeVeo rtriiugned A ufsiit1z9e5,4 p,p .1 3ff .)Th.e p resevnotl ume
repeatthsit se xutn altered.
Thet hirlde cturreem aisntsi ulnlp ublished.
Thef ourtlhe ctu"rTeh,eT urningi,sp" u blishheerdf eo rt hef irst
timaec cordtiont gh ef irusnta ltevreerds ion.
Att he oefnH do lzwHeegied egmgaekret sh feo lloowbi­ng
servatcioonncse r"nTihnWego rdo fN ietzhse:'c GodD eIas"d '
("NietzWsocrh'teG soi tstt )ta ontd' "ATghee of the World
It
PictureZ ei(td" eDWsie el tbsi"l:)d e
"TheW ordo fN ietzhse:c' GodI sD ead"': T hem ajopro rtiownesr e
deliverreepde ateidn1l 9y4 3f ors malglr oupTsh.e c onteinstb ased
upont heN ietzslcehcet utrheaswt e reg ivebne twee1n9 36a nd1 940
durinfgi vsee mesteartts h eU niversoiftF yr eibuirmg B reisgau.
Thessee tth emseltvheets as ko fu nderstanNdiientgz scthhei'nsk ing
ast hec onsummatoifoW ne stermne taphysfircosmo uto fB eing.
"TheA geo ft heW orldP icturTeh"e:l ectuwraesg iveonn J une
9,1 938u,n detrh et it"lTeh eE stablisbhyi Mnegt aphysoifct sh e
ModerWno rldP icturaest, h"e l asotf a seritehsa wta sa rrangbeyd
theS ocieftoyr A esthetics, PNhaitluorsaolpa hnyd,M edicinaet
FreibuirmgB reisgaanud,w hichh ada si ttsh emet hee stablishing
oft hem oderwno rlpdi ctuTrhee.a ppendiwxeerse w rittaetnt he
samet imbeu tw eren otd elivered.
Ofa ltlh ees saiynHs o lzwHeegied egrgeemras r:k
Int hei nterventiinmget hespei echeasv eb eenr epeaterdelvyi sed
andi,n s omep lacecsl,a rifiIened a.c cha steh el eveolfr eflectainodn
thes tructhuarvee remaiannedsd o,a lsot,o gethweirt ht heshea,s
thec hangiunsge o fl anguage.
Anda tt he oefnV do rtruiingAdeu fsiiHtezidee gggievtreh se
follonwoitn:eg s
"TheQ uestioCno ncerniTnegc hnolog[y""D iFer agnea chd er
TechnikL"e]c:t uhreel do nN ovembe1r8 ,1 955i,n t hem aina udi­
toriuomf t heT echnisHcohceh schuMluen,i chi,n t hes eri"eTsh e
Artisn t heT echnologicala rrAagneg,be"yd t heB avariAacna demy
ofF ineA rtsu ndetrh el eadersohfiP pr esideEnmti lP reetorius;
publisihnev do lumIeI oIf t heY earbooofkt heA cadem(ye dC.l em­
ensG raPfo dewilRs.)O l,d enbouMrugn,i ch1,9 54p,p .7 0ff .
Preface xi
"ScienacnedR eflecti[o"nW"i ssenscuhnadBf ets innungL"eJc:t ure,
ini tpsr esevnetr sigoinv einn A ugus1t9,5 4b,e forae s malglr oup,
inp reparaftoirot nh ea bove-menticoonnefde reinncM eu nich.
WILLILAOMV ITT
SacramCeanltiof,o rnia
Introduction
Tor eaHde ideggiestr o s eto uto na na dventuTrhee.e ssayisn
thisv olume-intrigcuhianlgl,e ngainndgo ,f tebna fflingt he
reader-chailmal l waytsoa bandoanl slu perficsicaaln nianngd
toe ntewrh oleheartiendttlohy es eriopuusr suoiftt hinking.
Everpyh ilosopdheemra ndtsob er eaidn h iso wnt ermTsh.i s
ise specitarluloeyf H eideggOenre.m ustn otc omet oh imw ith
ready-made laalbtehlosutg,hh e saer ev eryo ftegni venT.h us
Heideggiesnr o ta n" existentiHaeli isns ottc. o"n cernceedn trally
ore xclusiwvietlhmy a n.R athehre i sc entraclolnyc ernweidt h
ther elatbieotnw eemna na nd Beiwnigt,hm a na st heo penness
tow hicahn di nw hicBhe inpgr esenacnedsi sk nownH.e idegger
isn ota "determinHies dto.e"sn otb elietvhea mta n'asc tions
arec ompletceolnyt rolblyfe odr coeust sihdiem o rt hamta nh as
noe ffectifvree edoTmo. H eideggmearn 'lsi fdeo esi ndeeldi e
undeard estinsienngft r omo uto fB einBgu.t t oh imt hadte stin­
ingc ani tseclaflf lo rtah s elf-oriernetsipnogno sfem ant haits
reaaln di sa t rueex pressoifho unm anf reedoAmg.a in, Heidegger
isn ota "mystiHce.d "o esn otd escriobrae d vocattheee xperi­
encinogfa nys orotf o nenewsist ha na bsoluotrie n finiFtoer.
himb othm ana nBde inagr efi nitaen,d t heirre lationnsehviepr
dissolivnes sh eeorn enesHse.n caeb soluitnefi,n iotret ,h eO ne
cana ppeatroh imo nlya sa bstractoifom nasn 'tsh inkianngd,
nota sr ealiotfie esss entpioawle r.