This lecture concerns the origin of Occidental thinking. The word ‘thinking’ means here the thinking of the thinkers. Since antiquity, this thinking has been called ‘philosophy.’ Philosophical thinking is authentic thinking because it thinks that which in its essence is the “to-be-thought,” and thereby takes thinking as a claim for itself. Thoughtful thinking is essential thinking. The old name ‘philosophy’ hails from the region of the inception of Occidental thinking. Thought in a Greek way, it means φιλία τοῦ σοφοῦ: friendship for the to-be-thought.
However, if the friendship between humans can neither be planned nor contrived, then the friendship for the to-be-thought is entirely, and before all else, not something forged by the thinkers, but is rather the gift from what is in, and for, essential thinking the to-be-thought.
The title of this lecture speaks of Occidental thinking. The expression “Occidental Philosophy” is here being avoided, because this expression is, strictly speaking, redundant. There is no philosophy other than Occidental philosophy. ‘Philosophy,’ in its essence, is so primordially Occidental that it bears the ground of the history of the Occident. From out of this ground alone, technology has arisen. There is only an Occidental technology. It is the consequence of ‘Philosophy’ and nothing else.
Instead of the thoughtfully adopted title “The Inception of Occidental Thinking” one would even like [4] to say: “The Beginning (or the Origin) of Philosophy in the Occident.” Why we have chosen to remain with the other title must come to light through the course of this lecture.