The Metaphysical Heidegger

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Martin Heidegger, in his book "Introduction to Metaphysics", relates that his important first question asks about not only what beings are and what they are made of, but also about why there are beings at all. The paper explains that Heidegger believed that his metaphysics was the first question, not because his question was the first of its nature (obviously Aristotle metaphysical writings came before Heidegger's), but because it is the first to be asked on three different levels: Heidegger's metaphysical speculation is "first" in its, scope, depth and originality. The paper then discusses the three different moods that Heidegger points out, which lead to the question of why we exist. In addition, the paper examines Heidegger belief that it is Christianity that obscures that answer to the question. The paper concludes that Heidegger's fundamental question affects all beings, from God to the trees in the forest. It is a question that we must ask before we ask anything else.

From the Paper:

"Because it is not the emergence that we see but rather the whatness of a being, this Greek definition of phusis takes a kind of sovereignty over the Heideggerian version of phusis. It is so difficult to find the emergence in a being that most beings over look that. It is the whatness of a being that people see first and thus they focus on this aspect of a being. This focus on the whatness of a being takes away from the Being of beings and hence somewhat reigns supreme in our looking upon beings."

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