- I Am an Impure Thinker
Infobox Book
name = I Am an Impure Thinker
image_size =
image_caption =Cover of "I Am an Impure Thinker"
author = Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy
country = United States
language = English
subject = Social philosophy
genre = Philosophy
publisher = Argo Books
pub_date = 1970
english_pub_date =
media_type =
pages = 248
isbn = 0-912148-56-X" I Am an Impure Thinker " is a book by
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy (1888-1973), German social philosopher and is an English-language introduction to Rosenstock-Huessy’s German-language book,Soziologie . It is a collection of essays, which represents an accessible introduction to Rosenstock-Huessy’s thought. The "impure thinker" title reflects the author’s escape from the bounds set by academic tradition, his belief that thought must be accompanied by passionate convictions and engagement, and that sterile intellect is a disease. While apparently unrelated, the essays nevertheless have an underlying unity, which runs through his discussion of the concepts of William James, the Gospels, the Egyptian symbol of Ka, and other uncommon sources. Together the essays contribute to the discovery of a post-theological language. They answer Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s question: “How can we speak of God to modern man who ‘has come of age?’”Citation
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title = I Am an Impure Thinker
date =
year =2007
url = http://www.argobooks.org/english/i_am_an_impure_thinker.html
accessdate = 2007-11-16] It has been recognized as a summary of Rosenstock-Huessy's insights into Western culture by such thinkers as,W. H. Auden ,Dietrich Bonhoeffer ,Martin E. Marty , andHarold J. Berman .Overview
Rosenstock-Huessy's collection of essays summarize themes and major methodological concerns from his work and provide autobiographical material. In the opening chapter, "Farewell to Descartes", he writes: [Citation
last =Rosenstock-Huessy
first =Eugen
title = I Am an Impure Thinker
publisher = Argo Books
year =1970
location = Norwich, Vermont
isbin =0-912148-56-X
url = http://www.argobooks.org/english/i_am_an_impure_thinker.html] The emphasis upon his impurity is, in large part, one further missive directed at the claims of philosophers who wish, through reason, to achieve truth in its purity. We are, for Rosenstock-Huessy, always caught up in the stresses and strains and impurities of the world and we have a much better chance of improving our condition if we accept this reality and get on with it.In the forward of the book,
W. H. Auden writes: [Citation
last =Rosenstock-Huessy
first =Eugen
title = I Am an Impure Thinker
publisher = Argo Books
year =1970
location = Norwich, Vermont
isbin =0-912148-56-X
url = http://www.argobooks.org/english/i_am_an_impure_thinker.html] That summarizes of Rosenstock-Huessy's procedure, which combines the personal and the socio-historical.Assessment of "Speech and Reality"
In the forward of the book,
W. H. Auden writes: [Citation
last =Rosenstock-Huessy
first =Eugen
title = I Am an Impure Thinker
publisher = Argo Books
year =1970
location = Norwich, Vermont
isbin =0-912148-56-X
url = http://www.argobooks.org/english/i_am_an_impure_thinker.html]Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote of the author: Citation
last =
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = I Am an Impure Thinker
date =
year =2007
url = http://www.argobooks.org/english/i_am_an_impure_thinker.html
accessdate = 2007-11-16]In his book, "By Way of Response",
Martin E. Marty writes:Citation
last = Marty
first = Martin E
title = By Way of Response
publisher = Abingdon
year = 1981
location = Nashville, Tennessee
isbn = ]In his book, "Law and Revolution: The Formation of the Western Legal Tradition",
Harold J. Berman cites "I am an Impure Thinker" as contributing to the insights on the discussion of law and revolution.Citation
last = Berman
first = Harold J.
title = Law and Revolution: The Formation of the Western Legal Tradition
publisher = Harvard University Press
year = 1983
location =Cambridge, Massachusetts
isbn = ]References
External links
* [http://www.argobooks.org The official web site of the Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Fund and Argo Books] includes a [http://www.argobooks.org/biography.html biography] , accessed 20 March 2007
* The Norwich Center, Norwich, Vermont, maintains an internet site devoted to an introductory [http://members.valley.net/~transnat/erh.html biography and appreciation of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy] , signed by Clinton C. Gardner, President of the Norwich Center, accessed 20 March 2007
* [http://homepages.ipact.nl/~ottok/engelsindex.htm Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Gesellschaft]
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