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Gelassenheit

Philosophy
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Gelassenheit is Heidegger’s “releasement”—a meditative openness to beings without willful mastery. It cultivates non-impositional thinking.

Detailed Definition
Poetry embodies Gelassenheit through receptive attention, minimal intervention, and contemplative stillness. The poet listens rather than commands, allowing phenomena to reveal themselves. This philosophical stance fosters ecological and spiritual humility, where language serves disclosure, not domination.
Example
Example in poetry:
Wendell Berry’s poems embody Gelassenheit through patient agricultural attention; Wallace Stevens’s “The Snow Man” practices non-impositional perception; Mary Oliver’s nature poems listen without claiming or explaining; Rainer Maria Rilke’s “The Panther” observes without judgment; W.S. Merwin’s late work accepts ecological loss without protest; Robert Hass’s “Meditation at Lagunitas” relinquishes naming to experience presence.
Additional Notes
Gelassenheit (“releasement”) is Heidegger’s meditative openness—letting beings be without mastery. In poetry, it appears as receptive attention: Oliver’s nature poems, Stevens’s “Snow Man.” Contrast with willful expression. Students should spot poems that listen rather than speak. Related to epoché, Fourfold, and wu-wei (Taoist non-action). Professors can link it to contemplative traditions and anti-anthropocentrism.
Also Known As
Releasement Letting-be Serenity
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