This text critiques the conception of thinking as something radically secondary to things. The author argues that if thinking were purely posterior, it would be impossible to relate thoughts to reality or aim for truth. The fundamental question is how an idea or concept can refer back to a thing if it is entirely derivative. For truth to remain a possibility, thinking must be capable of establishing independence from the world of objects and drawing from a source that is not itself a thing. This source must be non-material and external to things, yet simultaneously directed toward them. The text opposes mechanical materialism or the notion of passive reflection, emphasizing instead the active, intentional nature of human consciousness. Without the ability of thought to turn toward an object from its own ground, the relationship between idea and reality would collapse. Written in April 1952, this reflection represents a crucial moment in the author's search for the foundations of truthful knowledge that transcends mere derivation from the objective world.