THOUGHT AND POETRY: CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ AND MARTIN HEIDEGGER Cover Image

MYŚLENIE I POEZJA. CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ I MARTIN HEIDEGGER
THOUGHT AND POETRY: CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ AND MARTIN HEIDEGGER

Author(s): Magdalena Lubelska-Renouf
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Łódzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe
Keywords: poetry; thought; western nihilism; subjectivisation; the death of God; wondermentatthat; evil; that which exists; the language

Summary/Abstract: Philosophy, which is an effort of thought, often strives to become pure thought above and beyond language. This attempt, which is doomed to failure (we always think in words), challenges poetry and positions itself not beyond language but short of poetry. The classic example of this is the philosophy of Wittgenstein. The contrary of this de-poeticised thought is poetry which lieson this side of thought: it is unreflective poetry (that which does not reflect the world) and the absurd (deaf to the world). The classic example of this is the poetry of Mallarmé. Martin Heidegger and Czesław Miłosz challenge these two positions in philosophy and poetry and strive to think in a poetic way: The philosopher dreams of a poeticising thought while the poet dreams of a philosophising poetry. Their preoccupations reflected major themes, in particular western nihilism of the 20th century and its metaphysical roots; the subject /object dialectic and the radical subjectivisation which arises from it; the death of God, man and the world which is brought about by this subjectivisation; remedies to fight against this; the quiddity (essential essence) of things, their grain and physical substance, concrete and sensual; their deep wondermentatthat which exists; their deep respect and piety in the face of that which exists; the language itself, the words that they use to try to express that which exists. In terms of their thought, they are on the same path. But there are thoughts which they do not share or which they consider differently. Heidegger does not consider Evil: Nothing is more alien to his philosophy than the Good/Evil dualism. Miłosz, on the other hand, is obsessed by the question of Unde Malum? and to approach it he leans towards Transcendence. Heidegger holds to the concept of absolute Immanence. As a result they are worlds apart when they consider eschatological matters such as death. This article aims to provide an outline of the constellation of subjects considered in the philosophy of Heidegger and the poetry of Miłosz.

  • Issue Year: 2014
  • Issue No: 69
  • Page Range: 177-198
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Polish
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