When Aristotle ascended into the first heaven, he saw the Prime Mover writing long hyphenated words in a language with which he wasn’t at all familiar.
Said Aristotle, “Cause of Causes, Who requires you to do this?”
Replied the First Principle of Philosophy, “One day there will come a man who will grasp the ideas behind these words and derive pages and pages of philosophical insights from them.
Said Aristotle, “Being qua Being, reveal this man to me.”
Replied Being qua Being, “Turn around.”
Aristotle turned around and found himself in the back of Heidegger’s classroom at the University of Heidelberg. Aristotle could not follow the discussion and felt dizzy. At a certain point, one of the students asked, “Herr, Heidegger, how does your distinction between the factical and the existential or the ontic and the ontological bear out in terms of the relation between one’s thoughts and one’s actions?” Heidegger replied, “This distinction is one given to us in the works of Aristotle. Aristotle’s life may summed up as follows: Aristotle was born. He thought. He died. What matters is that he thought. This is the unveiling revelation given to us by Being through Aristotle.” Then Aristotle felt relieved.
But Aristotle turned back to face the Ground of Grounds, and he said, “You have such a mind, yet you give the question of the meaning of Being through me?”
Replied, Thought Thinking Itself, “Shush. This is the way my thoughts ascend me.”
Replied, Aristotle, “Reason of the Universe, you have shown me his insights, show me his life.”
The Reason of the Universe said, “Turn around.” Aristotle turned around and saw Heidegger shouting, “Heil Hitler.”
Said Aristotle, “Source of Sources, such is his knowledge and such his life?”
Replied Being, “Shush. This is the way my thoughts ascend me.”
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