I Am an Impure Thinker [Paperback]

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001 | ISBN-10: 091214856X | ISBN-13: 978-0912148564

I Am an Impure Thinker, a collection of essays, is a book one can read as an introduction to Rosenstock-Huessy's thought. He is an "impure thinker" because he refuses to stay within any of the bounds set by academic tradition. He is also impure because he believes that thought must be accompanied by passionate convictions and engagement, that sterile intellect is a disease. The editors have selected the essays to reflect the author's diversity. The selection is from Rosenstock-Huessy's unpublished writings, with the exception of Chapters 1 and 11. 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. This book is an answer to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's question: How can we speak of God to modern man who "has come of age?" Eberhardt Bethge, Bonhoeffer's close friend, editor, and biographer writes: "Rosenstock-Huessy refuses to do anything in the usual way. But you may well turn yourself over to him. Behind everything stands the committed responsibility of a great teacher who opens our eyes."

Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Argo Books (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091214856X
• ISBN-13: 978-0912148564
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,212,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Am an Impure Thinker, December 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: I Am an Impure Thinker (Paperback)

"I Am an Impure Thinker," a collection of essays, is a book one can read as an introduction to Rosenstock-Huessy's thought. He is an "impure thinker" because he refuses to stay within any of the bounds set by academic tradition. He is also impure because he believes that thought must be accompanied by passionate convictions and engagement, that sterile intellect is a disease. The editors have selected the essays to reflect the author's diversity. The selection is from Rosenstock-Huessy's unpublished writings, with the exception of Chapters 1 and 11. 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.
This book is an answer to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's question: How can we speak of God to modern man who "has come of age?" Eberhardt Bethge, Bonhoeffer's close friend, editor, and biographer writes:
"Rosenstock-Huessy refuses to do anything in the usual way. But you may well turn yourself over to him. Behind everything stands the committed responsibility of a great teacher who opens our eyes."
"I Am an Impure Thinker" (together with "Speech and Reality") is an English-language introduction to Rosenstock-Huessy's thought.
"I Am an Impure Thinker" has been reviewed by others:
Rosenstock - Huessy has uncovered many truths hidden from his predecessors.... Whatever he may have to say about God, Man, the World, Time, etc., Rosenstock-Huessy always starts out from his own experience as a human being, who must pass through successive stages between birth and death, learning something essential from each one of them. - W. H. Auden, from the Foreword
"I Am an Impure Thinker" can also be ordered from Argo Books (www.argobooks.org), as can all the rest of Rosenstock-Huessy's English language works, including many of the lectures he gave on these topics. The lectures alone comprise more than 5000 pages of spontaneous comments he made to students from 1949 to 1968.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richard Feringer on "I Am an Impure Thinker", February 1, 2012

By 

Mark Huessy - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Am an Impure Thinker (Hardcover)

I Am an Impure Thinker, a collection of essays, is a book one can read as an introduction to Rosenstock-Huessy's thought. He is an "impure thinker" because he refuses to stay within any of the bounds set by academic tradition. He is also impure because he believes that thought must be accompanied by passionate convictions and engagement, that sterile intellect is a disease. The editors have selected the essays to reflect the author's diversity. The selection is from Rosenstock-Huessy's unpublished writings, with the exception of Chapters 1 and 11. 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.
This book is an answer to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's question: How can we speak of God to modern man who "has come of age?" Eberhardt Bethge, Bonhoeffer's close friend, editor, and biographer writes: "Rosenstock-Huessy refuses to do anything in the usual way. But you may well turn yourself over to him. Behind everything stands the committed responsibility of a great teacher who opens our eyes."