PARTISAN REVIEW
action has been preached for action's sake. Sometimes the existen–
tialist attitude turns against all objective authorities in the form of
bohemian anarchism-often misunderstood as communism. Some–
times existential dread, as substitute for the fear of hell fire, is sup–
posed to move us to return to the redeeming community of the
church. And, finally, literati, since the Second World War could avail
themselves of slogans like "dread," "nothing," "failure."
Here, obviously, our theme reaches out beyond strict theory. The
interpretations of the life situations which again and again are poured
into the empty formulae of philosophy-and even more the forms
of actual vital order-no one can decide on finally in the name of
knowledge alone. This decision can only come from an ethic, which,
not to be blind, has need of knowledge. Thus, the critical illumina–
tion of deeply rooted misunderstandings and the clear calculation of
the difficulties of our own position may strengthen a disposition of
wakefulness and watchfulness, which refuses even in the hour of need
to betray itself to authority or esotericism.
1 For this problem cf. E. Topitsch: "Der Humanismus und seine Ueber–
windung,"
Wiener Zeitschrift tuer Philosophie, Psycho logie, Paedagogik,
IV
/2,
1952, p. 96
ff.
2 Ludwig Wittgenstein:
Tractatu. logico-philosolhicus,
6.52. R. Carnap:
Der logische Aufbau der Welt.
Berlin 1928,
p.
262.
3 O. F. Bollnow,
ExistenzphilosoJlltie,
3rd ed., Stuttgart 1949, p. 11.
4 L . Binswanger,
Grundformen und Erkenntnis menschlichen Daseins,
Zurich 1942, p. 446.
5 M. Heidegger,
Was ist M etaphysik?
4th ed., Frankfurt am Main 1943,
p. 17.
6 F.
J.
v. Rintelen:
Philosophie der Endlichkeit als Spiegel der Gegenwart,
Meisenheim 1951, p. 168. The quotations are from M. Heidegger,
Ueber den
Humanismus,
Frankfurt am Main 1949, p. 6, 9, 7.
7 M. Heidegger:
Hol<.wege,
2nd ed., Frankfurt am Main 1952, p. 271.
Humanismus,
p. 22.
Hol<.wege,
p. 247.
Humanismus,
p. 15-16.
Ho/t;wege,
p. 291-4.
8 Humanismus,
p. 42-5.
9 Rintelen,
op. cit.,
p. 168, 293. F. Heinemann: "Was ist lebendig und
was ist tot in der Existenzphilosophie?"
Zeitschrift fur philosophische Forschung,
195011, p. 13-14.
10
Ho/t;wege,
p. 195.
