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12:38 Feb 6, 2010
German to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - Philosophy
German term or phrase:dingliche Vernunft
It is in a title: "Am Ende des Werkzeugs. Perspektiven dinglicher Vernunft"
And I have no other context
Explanation: Elemente einer Kritik der dinglichen Vernunft http://tww.fh-duesseldorf.de/et/franz/philotec/data/elemente...
Als Resultat eines ver-dinglichenden Denkens erscheint der Schein von Vernünftigkeit in den Dingen: „dingliche Vernunft“. Sie wendet den Blick weg von der „menschlichen Vernunft“ und ordnet Vernunft als dem anscheinend spezifisch Menschlichen, Subjektiven einem spezifisch dem Menschen Gegenüberstehenden, Objektiven zu.
The distinction appears to be between subjective (menschlich) and objective (dinglich) reasoning.
I would not use the other translation of ‘dinglich’ – material – as 'material reason' has a a more legalistic ring to it (i.e. Sachgrund)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2010-02-06 14:43:32 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
If it's a play on words you are looking for (i.e. with reference to 'Werkzeuge'), perhaps you need some combination with 'instrument(al)'. See this definition of 'Instrumental rationality': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_rationality
Results 1 - 100 of about 87,000 for "instrumental rationality"
Results 1 - 100 of about 20,300 for "instrumental reasoning"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 days (2010-02-11 09:45:11 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
Thanks. There have been extensive discussions in the forum about splitting points. Unfortunately, it is not possible, even when two colleagues have submitted formal answers (rather than commenting in the discussion box).
Thanks again Andrew - this was very helpful to get the thought process going that then was brought to a close by Annett. Unfortunately I don't know how to give points to her (since I think the two of you should share the points), since she only commented. Is there a way I can give the other 2 points to her? 2 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I do agree with your reasoning, Annett. My final suggestion was: "The End of the 'Tool Age'. Perspectives on the Rationality of Things." - It seems that he was happy with it.
(This assumes, of course, that your client means 'dingliche Vernunft' in the same sense as Rainer Rotermundt in Andrew's link.)
In Andrew’s link is a definition of ‘dingliche Vernunft’ [= der Schein der Vernünftigeit erscheint in den Dingen], which I read to mean that it appears to us that logic and reason are not attributes of the human mind but are immanent in external reality. - - One might say that the claim that ‘the world appears rational to us because we apply our human reason to it’ is turned on its head and it is argued instead that ‘we think rationally because the external world is so’ - - but I could be going to far here! In any case, an attempt is made to situate reason/rationality outside the human. ‘Ver-dinglichendes Denken’ [p.2] thus presupposes the logic and rationality of [all] things; and it goes on to apply this logic (which makes technology work) to human institutions, e.g. the state or the market. And this, in the author’s view, is bad news because man unwittingly imprisons himself in something that he calls ‘Sachzwang’ = the constraint of things…. To cut a long story short, I'd go with 'the rationality of things'. [Edited for clarification 17:15]
The problem is that all I really have is this title. A customer for whom I had translated another article simply asked me, how I would translate this. I have proposed the following possibilities, but am not altogether happy with them:
"The End of Tools. Perspectives on Material Rationality." (Problem: 'Materialism')
"Ultimate Stages of the 'Tools Age'. Perspectives on the Rationality of the Object." (Problem: Subject - Object)
Therefore maybe rather:
"The Ultimate Stages of Tools. Perspectives on the Rationality of Things".
"The End of the Age of Tools. Perspectives on the Rationality of the Tangible /of Tangible Things."
Can you give us the name of the thinker whose ideas are being discussed or the main theory (e.g. phenomenology)? Where does the 'Werkzeug' come from? So far 'dingliche Vernunft' makes me think of 'reason incarnate'.
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
11 hrs confidence:
technical reason or technical rationality
Explanation: since the first part of the title is "The End of Tools", "material rationality", while good does not capture the technological element, and therefore "dingliche" might be better rendered as "technical".
Bruce Sanchez Local time: 05:14 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English
Explanation: Elemente einer Kritik der dinglichen Vernunft http://tww.fh-duesseldorf.de/et/franz/philotec/data/elemente...
Als Resultat eines ver-dinglichenden Denkens erscheint der Schein von Vernünftigkeit in den Dingen: „dingliche Vernunft“. Sie wendet den Blick weg von der „menschlichen Vernunft“ und ordnet Vernunft als dem anscheinend spezifisch Menschlichen, Subjektiven einem spezifisch dem Menschen Gegenüberstehenden, Objektiven zu.
The distinction appears to be between subjective (menschlich) and objective (dinglich) reasoning.
I would not use the other translation of ‘dinglich’ – material – as 'material reason' has a a more legalistic ring to it (i.e. Sachgrund)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2010-02-06 14:43:32 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
If it's a play on words you are looking for (i.e. with reference to 'Werkzeuge'), perhaps you need some combination with 'instrument(al)'. See this definition of 'Instrumental rationality': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_rationality
Results 1 - 100 of about 87,000 for "instrumental rationality"
Results 1 - 100 of about 20,300 for "instrumental reasoning"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 days (2010-02-11 09:45:11 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
Thanks. There have been extensive discussions in the forum about splitting points. Unfortunately, it is not possible, even when two colleagues have submitted formal answers (rather than commenting in the discussion box).
Andrew Swift United Kingdom Local time: 13:14 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 10
Grading comment
Thanks again Andrew - this was very helpful to get the thought process going that then was brought to a close by Annett. Unfortunately I don't know how to give points to her (since I think the two of you should share the points), since she only commented. Is there a way I can give the other 2 points to her?
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
