Introducing Planetary Thinking

Martin Heidegger came up with the idea of planetary thinking in 1958. In his book The Question of Being, he wrote that we are... 

"[...] obliged not to give up the effort to practice planetary thinking along a stretch of the road, be it ever so short. Here too no prophetic talents and demeanor are needed to realize that there are in store for planetary building encounters for which participants are by no means equal today. This is equally true of the European and of the East Asiatic languages and, above all, for the area of a possible conversation between them. Neither of the two is able by itself to open up this area and to establish it."

In the course of our studies my fellow students at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy and I have been introduced to this concept. A globalized world confronts us with many challenges. We want to learn from each other, cooperate or simply communicate. As easy as it sounds, it oftentimes proofs to be far more difficult than expected. Being aware of intercultural issues is a first step. But making the most out of the opportunities this planet offers requires us to go a step further. 

Planetary thinking requires to be aware of your own personal and cultural values and reservations. Getting to know the ones of others and letting go of the own ones allows us to think truely planetary. Whether this is completely possible remains questionable, but it is the only way to surmount challenges that are global in nature and can only be solved together by people with different backgrounds.

In this blog, we will publish our thoughts on issues that matter, challenging our own planetary and progressive capabilities.

picture // creative commons: NASA