V. Vycinas - Böcker

Earth and Gods is an attempt to introduce the reader to Heidegger's fully developed philosophy. The title Earth and Gods gives an im­ pression of not being a general study of Heidegger's philosophy. However, this is not true - the earth and the gods are fundamental ontological symbols of his fully developed philosophy, namely, his third and final phase of thought. This phase repeats the problems of both preceding phases in a fuller and more developed manner; hence, it implies them. The two preceding phases are the phase of Dasein and the phase of Being. These two phases are a natural flow of fundamental problems which reach their final formation and development in the phase of earth and gods. Dasein (the first phase) leads to Being, and Being (the second phase) bursts into fundamental ontological powers of Being (Seinsmiichte) which are earth and sky, gods and mortals (the third phase). Since earth is unthinkable without sky and since gods are gods in the world of mortals - of men, the title Earth and Gods is an abbreviation of these four fundamental powers of Being. Hence, an investigation of earth and gods is an attempt to present Heidegger's philosophy as a whole. Such a presentation provides the reader with the background necessary for a more adequate and efficient understanding of the writings of Heidegger himself. Thus, Earth and Gods may rightly be considered an introduction to Hei­ degger's philosophy.

In the unequaled and majestic contemporary technological phase of our cultural development, where democratic liberties and the means of well­ being are accessible to everyone; man is unsatisfied, insecure, rebellious, confused and lost. More than ever before he seems to lack the sureness of his way in life. The abundance of theories, doctrines and various philosophical, social or religious systems and moral teachings fails to provide the individual today with any clarity whatsoever. Lacking this, he turns to peripheral events, to sensational occurrences; he turns his attention to more and to glaring new models of technological products. more new things, mostly Acquiring a great multitude of these and various other things, he seems to stress his own importance, thus making an inquiry in its fundamental validity superfluous. In this way he escapes the search of his very own mission; he betrays the superior powers which demand from him his existential contribution in finding his ideals and outlining the way of his life.

Cultural twilight means cultural disintegration or death. It means cul­ tural agony. Such agony gradually fades into the dawn of tomorrow's culture, just as the twilight of a summer's evening proceeds into the daylight of the forthcoming day. Consequently cultural twilight or agony simul­ taneously is the dawn - the milieu of birth - of future gods. With these words a close interbelonging of the recently published SEARCH FOR GoDS with the present study, OUR CULTURAL AGONY, is stressed. Both of these books belong together and constitute one and the same "story". While SEARCH FOR GODS deals with man of tomorrow in his venture to find the way which would lead him to his dawning gods, OUR CULTURAL AGONY attempts to disclose contemporary man's ways of erring - his stray­ ing ways. Moreover, just as the way towards man's future gods is simul­ taneously his way to his true cultural self, so are his straying ways his ways of a lack of self. Man's way to his true self is his authentic, innermost, "bloody" or "ex-istential" way, while the way of his lack of self is his inauthentic way. The inauthentic ways, generally speaking, are "democratic" ways: they are the public and common ways of modem society, most typical or characteristic of it. Accordingly, while SEARCH FOR GODS has an indi­ vidualistic character, OUR CULTURAL AGONY has a social character.

Cultural twilight means cultural disintegration or death. It means cul­ tural agony. Such agony gradually fades into the dawn of tomorrow's culture, just as the twilight of a summer's evening proceeds into the daylight of the forthcoming day. Consequently cultural twilight or agony simul­ taneously is the dawn - the milieu of birth - of future gods. With these words a close interbelonging of the recently published SEARCH FOR GoDS with the present study, OUR CULTURAL AGONY, is stressed. Both of these books belong together and constitute one and the same "story". While SEARCH FOR GODS deals with man of tomorrow in his venture to find the way which would lead him to his dawning gods, OUR CULTURAL AGONY attempts to disclose contemporary man's ways of erring - his stray­ ing ways. Moreover, just as the way towards man's future gods is simul­ taneously his way to his true cultural self, so are his straying ways his ways of a lack of self. Man's way to his true self is his authentic, innermost, "bloody" or "ex-istential" way, while the way of his lack of self is his inauthentic way. The inauthentic ways, generally speaking, are "democratic" ways: they are the public and common ways of modem society, most typical or characteristic of it. Accordingly, while SEARCH FOR GODS has an indi­ vidualistic character, OUR CULTURAL AGONY has a social character.

In the unequaled and majestic contemporary technological phase of our cultural development, where democratic liberties and the means of well­ being are accessible to everyone; man is unsatisfied, insecure, rebellious, confused and lost. More than ever before he seems to lack the sureness of his way in life. The abundance of theories, doctrines and various philosophical, social or religious systems and moral teachings fails to provide the individual today with any clarity whatsoever. Lacking this, he turns to peripheral events, to sensational occurrences; he turns his attention to more and to glaring new models of technological products. more new things, mostly Acquiring a great multitude of these and various other things, he seems to stress his own importance, thus making an inquiry in its fundamental validity superfluous. In this way he escapes the search of his very own mission; he betrays the superior powers which demand from him his existential contribution in finding his ideals and outlining the way of his life.