What is Orientation?: A Philosophical Investigation

by Werner Stegmaier

The very first thing one does in all situations of life is orient oneself. Decisions of orientation, which are mostly made under uncertainty and the pressure of time, largely determine subsequent decisions. But what is orientation? The problems of orientation are as old as humankind, the word is used everywhere, but the concept has never been thoroughly investigated. The philosopher Werner Stegmaier comprehensively clarifies for the first time the conditions and structures of orientation, including those of our sexual, economic, media, political, legal, scientific, artistic, religious, moral, and ethical orientations. He thereby establishes a new philosophical language and offers a philosophy for our time. "As if I unexpectedly slipped down into a deep vortex, I am swirled around in a way that I can neither put a foot down, nor swim to the surface. Nonetheless, I will work my way out … " (René Descartes, Philosopher) "As often as my speculation seems to lead me too far from the paved road of common sense, I stand still and seek to orient myself. I look back at the point from which we started, and I seek to compare the two guideposts I have." (Moses Mendelssohn, Philosopher) "A philosophical problem has the ‘I do not know my way about.’" (Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosopher) "The second O, orientation – as the repository of our genetic heritage, cultural tradition, and previous experiences – is the most important part of the O-O-D-A loop since it shapes the way we o bserve, the way we d ecide, the way we a ct." (John Boyd, Military Strategist)

Genres: Philosophy

318 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2019

Reviews

[Samantha Sprole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orientation is the achievement of finding one's way in a new situation under the conditions of time pressure and uncertainty. I deeply appreciate the grounding in philosophical literature, with special emphasis on the ancient Greeks, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Luhmann and Levinas. It took me hundreds of pages to get to a succinct explanation of what I feel is the chief contribution of this philosophy: humility in the face of an inability to know the truth as an ethical (as well as intellectual) virtue. Stegmaier provides a vocabulary for deconstructing all attempts at knowledge, and he reminds us to continually ground our orientations within our perspectival limitations and the pragmatic needs and opportunities of our temporal context.