The aim of the paper is to present and demonstrate examples and comparisons of Blumenberg's use of variations as a method of exploring and interpreting the history of philosophy. Using unpublished archive material, the text will present Blumenberg's reflection on variations in music, further specifying the concept of variation, the relationship of experiment and variation by Ernst Mach, whose work Blumenberg followed. Finally, the text presents Marquard's reflection of Blumenberg's variation on the Thales theme.