# German philosophical quote--cite?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 10, 2001, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772 "2001-09-10T23:19:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2001, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/1 "2001-09-10T23:19:46Z")

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Is anyone familiar with a phrase about the dingliche Dingheit des Dingens? Is this from Kant? Wittgenstein? Source? A friend mentioned it in conversation but couldn’t remember who it was.

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/2 "2001-09-11T00:06:11Z")

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“Das Denken ist Dingheit, oder Dingheit ist Denken.”  
-Hegel.  
Is that it?

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**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/3 "2001-09-11T00:12:31Z")

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No, it’s not that one. . . thanks, though. It was something that sounded amusing because of the dingliche Dingheit. I tried a Google search and got that Hegel, too, though. Hmm. . .

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**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/4 "2001-09-11T00:14:49Z")

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Maybe something like this by Heidegger? :

> [@](#):
>
> Das Spiegel-Spiel der weltenden Welt entringt als das Gering des Ringes die einigen Vier in das eigene Fügsame, das Ringe ihres Wesens. **Aus dem Spiegel-Spiel des Gerings des Ringes ereignet sich das Dingen des Dinges.**

(from Das Ding (what else?))

A couple of other convoluted quotes which could be mixed up in it:

“Was wir ein Ding nennen, ist ein gewisser gesetzmäßiger Zusammenhang von zusammengehörigen Empfindungen.” - Mach

“…da nämlich alle Dinge nur Gedankendinge sind, wissen wir von den Dingen nicht zu sagen.” - apparently Fritz Mauthner

also the Hegel quote previously mentioned.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/5 "2001-09-11T00:19:00Z")

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Chuck Berry: _My Ding-a-ling. . . ._

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/6 "2001-09-11T00:24:18Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> **capybara sez:**  
> No, it’s not that one. . .

Stumped me, then. Sounds kind of obscure and redundant, even for the idealists.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/7 "2001-09-11T03:14:37Z")

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Is this it?

> [@](#):
>
> “… So ist die Auslegung des Dinges nach Stoff und Form, sie bleibe mittelalterich oder sie werde kantisch-transzendetnal, gelaufig und selbstverstandlich geworden. Aber deshalb ist sie nicht weniger als die anderen genannten Auslegungen der Dingheit des Dinges ein UEBERFALL auf das Dingsein des Dinges.”
> 
> —M[artin] H[eidegger]: Der Ursprung des Kunstwerkes

I found it in a page that appears to be written mostly in Slovak, [http://bbs.inway.cz/bbs2www/CZphilosophy/022c](http://bbs.inway.cz/bbs2www/CZphilosophy/022c)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-philosophical-quote-cite/80772/8 "2001-09-11T03:35:09Z")

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That seems a bit closer in flavor, and I heard it from an art historian so it makes sense. That’s probably it. Should’a known it was Heidegger’s style. Thanks, guys.