Heidegger’s Was heisst denken puns two distinct questions about thinking

Evidence

But what is it, to think? Or, as Heidegger would ask in the title of a later essay, Was heisst denken? This could be translated as ‘What does one call thinking?’ or ‘What calls for thinking?’ — a play on words in the German. One might expect that Heidegger, with his constant reminders to shake off forgetfulness and to question everyday reality, would be the best placed of all philosophers to think well, and to call his compatriots to the task of responsible alertness. — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 262

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains the double meaning of Heidegger’s essay title — ‘what does one call thinking’ versus ‘what calls for thinking’.