Betraying the Tradition: Dispositions of Thinking Through Askesis to Wonder

Abstract

We find ourselves thrown into the world, enveloped in a certain context. Our behavior is to a large extent conditioned by this context and the inherited ways of thinking. Playing off the double meaning of traditio, we present a betrayal of the tradition of philosophy and customary ways of thinking, by shining a light on the tuning of modern rationality and proposing a way to challenge the modern technological understanding of being. As Heidegger remarks on several occasions, the attunement of wonder gave birth to philosophy, but has since been lost. We propose a possible way of confronting this issue, after the mood of anxiety has made us aware of the insignificance that lurks behind our habitual practices. This paper aims to show how askesis can enable us to revitalize the wonder about being, which we have lost.