The Problem of World

Aristotle's definition of the human continues to exercise Heidegger throughout his career. In this example, from 1941, he makes clear a theme that has been developing in his thought for many years. Indeed, the discussion of this phrase back in the Plato's Sophist course, quoted as an epigraph to this book, had made the link between the ‘rational animal’ and the question of calculation: ‘connected with this definition is that of man as the being which calculates [rechnet], arithmein. Calculating does not mean here counting [zählen] but to reckon something, to be designing [berechnend sein]; it is only on the basis of this original sense of calculating [Rechnen] that number [Zahl] developed’ (GA19, 17–18). Many years later, in the winter of 1942–43 that saw the German army defeated at Stalingrad, Heidegger declares that ‘man as animal rationale is the “animal” that calculates, plans, turns to beings as objects, represents what is objective and orders it’ (GA54, 232; see GA7, 52).