Abstract

Anyone who ponders on existence, touches upon the whole of life. But how to ponder on that which has befallen us even before we have uttered a first word? And how do we get a grip on that which must elude us in spite of any protest against that unavoidable loss? The trilogy What obligates us raises the question about the ethical foundation of the human condition. This first part discusses the exceptional nature of human being. In their broken relationship to themselves and their surroundings, humans learn of an indebtedness. From this simple truth they cannot hide without alienating their own being.