Heidegger Live!

Text: The Principle of Identity, lecture given June 27th, 1957, at the University of Freiburg on the occasion of their 500th anniversary.

In German:

Der Anspruch der Identitaet spricht aus dem Sein des Seienden. Wo nun aber das Sein des Seienden im abendlaendischen Denken am fruehesten und eigens zur Sprache kommt, naemlich bei Parmenides, da spricht to auto, das Identische, in einem fast uebermaessigen Sinne. Einer der Saetze des Parmenides lautet: to gar auto noein estin te kai einai. 'Das naemlich Selbe ist vernehmen (d.h. Denken) sowohl als auch Sein.'

(Heidegger, Identity and Difference, pp. 89-90; text slightly altered to match Heidegger's original reading.)

In translation:

The claim of identity speaks out of the Being of beings. However, where the Being of beings comes in Occidental thinking earliest and properly to language, namely with Parmenides, it says to auto, the identical, in an almost excessive sense. One of the sayings of Parmendides reads: to gar auto noein estin te kai einai. 'That, namely [the] same, is both becoming-aware (that is, thinking) and Being.'

(Heidegger, Identity and Difference, p. 27, Stambaugh translation modified)

Instructions/Help: If you are using Netscape and only hearing Heidegger's 1st sentence, try this: under Netscape's general preferences, then under helpers, double-click ULAW Audio and switch the preset to Soundmachine or some other audio helper. That should allow you to download and listen to the sound file.

Enjoy.

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