Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the similarities and differences between the hermeneutical views of MartinHeidegger and Hans George Gadamer. The latter was a student of the former, and although his ideas were deeply influenced by those of Heidegger, Gadamer's work concentrated on applied hermeneutics. Heidegger, however, had worked on the understanding of being-a central question asked by philosophers of earlier times.
Abstract This paper examines how the German philosopher, MartinHeidegger, is a highly controversial figure because of his Nazi connections during Hitler's dictatorship in Germany. It looks at how, although the extent of his collaboration with the Nazis is now clearly established by irrefutable evidence, Heidegger is still considered to be a titan among the 20th century philosophers and has influenced thinkers as diverse as Herbert Marcuse, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jacques Derrida, and Paul Tillich, among others.
From the Paper "Johannes Fritsche points out another connection to Nazism in Heidegger's philosophy in his Historical Destiny and National Socialism in Heidegger's Being and Time. Fritsche believes that Heidegger's idiom and use of language in Being and Time were part of a shared tradition of right-wing thought that emerged in the 1920s in Germany the subtlety of Heidegger's language got lost in translation and led to its misunderstanding by the existentialist philosophers. He points out that Heidegger's theory about achieving authenticity means the opposite of exercising freedom and is an answer to a call to live life according to one's fate. For Heidegger, fate had a definite political content?the fate of the patriotic German being identified with the Volksgemeinschaft, a term used by the Nazis to denote a community of the people bound by race and heritage."
Abstract This paper discusses the theories of MartinHeidegger which he presented in a book called "Being and Time." The paper describes his theories of nothingness and human "dread" and compares them to Deepak Chopra's similar quantum physics theories. The paper describes the basic meaning of the theories and concludes that had Heidegger possessed Chopra's gift for simplifying language, his concepts of nothingness might have been recognized sooner.
From the Paper "Heidegger's theory of human "dread" is interestingly at the core of what he believes to be our deep-seated awareness of "nothing." The fact that humans are deeply aware that we will perish into nothing is what gives defineable value to our human experience. In other words, while we know consciously that everything in our human world will change and die, we also know that this concept does not apply to a world of nothing. Heidegger evidently had no faith in the possibility of an afterlife that might include any thing relative to our human existence. In his view, the inescapable loss of somethingness is at the bottom of the human "angst." (Philosophypages)."
Abstract This paper explains that MartinHeidegger, 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."
Abstract This paper discusses and compares MartinHeidegger's phenomenological analysis of human existence and St. Anselm's ontological argument on the existence of God. The writer describes the concept of "dasein," or "being," and the special meanings that Heidegger assigned to it. The writer explains how Heidegger saw being as preceding knowing and how his argument progresses to the conclusion that the being of "dasein" is time. St. Anselm, on the other hand, begins with a negative proposition and uses logic to deduce the existence of God. The writer concludes that while St. Anselm derives everything else from the generalization of God's existence from logic, Heidegger finds it nearly impossible to even completely understand the concept of being.
Outline:
Heidegger St. Anselm
Comparison
From the Paper "St. Anselm advanced that since God is that, than which nothing greater can be thought, He must necessarily exist in reality (Kent 2006). His ontological argument was in the form of a deduction ad absurdum. It presents a hypothesis, which presents unacceptable or non-valid consequences, which make the hypothesis false. He argues that God is that "than which no greater can be conceived" and sets it in conflict with the hypothesis that God does not exist. If the hypothesis is accepted or valid, then nothing imaginable can be greater than God. It also argues that a God that exists is greater than a God that does not exist."
Abstract This paper analyzes MartinHeidegger's definition of art. The author claims that the origin of art is created from some form of activity on the part of the artist, whether it be creating a painting, song, sculpture or poetry. This paper focuses on Van Gogh's painting "A Pair of Shoes" and describes Heidegger's view of this particular work of art as well as his perception of the artist. The writer of this paper questions whether the artist creates the art or if art in fact creates the artist. This paper also discusses the significance of technology and nature in any work of art while describing Heidegger's definition of the 'thing' needed when creating art.
From the Paper "After mentioning the artist, Heidegger begins to question what the artist is. We must question then if the work is what makes the artist, or is it the artist that makes the work. He tells us that the artist is the source of the work, and the work is the source of the artist. Both the work and the artist depend on each other, and one of them cannot exist without the other. Both the artist and work are related to a thing that comes before each, and that is what Heidegger calls art. If artist and work are both dependent on each other to be the source of the other, so do to both depend on art as their source. Heidegger asks if art can be a source of a work of an artist. Heidegger then claims that art is nothing more than a collective noun that signifies nothing now."
Abstract This paper looks at the work of the philosopher Heidegger, whose central concern was with the nature of Being, and discusses the origins of his lifelong fascination with this foundational, ontological issue. The paper relates that Heidegger made a massive contribution to ontology, forcing others to think about the nature of Being from the foundations up. The paper concludes that Heidegger left an important legacy, in that he re-opened key questions that to this day still have not been answered satisfactorily.
From the Paper "Many philosophers are concerned with the key question of "Why is there anything, rather than nothing at all?" In other words, they are interested in why things have Being, or exist. Such philosophers are often interested in ascertaining who or what was the Prime Mover - the first thing that had Being, and that subsequently caused other things to have Being (commonly thought of as God). Other philosophers are concerned with how we can know about Being. This is referred to as epistemology, or the theory of knowledge. In Heidegger's time, many philosophers attempted to follow in the Kantian tradition, and were primarily concerned with asking "What can we know?" They frequently posed this question in relation to knowledge as the foundation of science.
"However, Heidegger was never part of any herd. He dismissed epistemology, saying that it "continually sharpens the knife but never gets round to cutting" (Being and Time, p. lviii, quoted in Inwood, p. 13). Heidegger seems to have been more concerned with cutting, with penetrating right into the meat of reality. He was concerned with the nature of what is, i.e. with the nature of Being. This is known as ontology, or the study of existence. While this is sometimes conceived of as the most general branch of metaphysics, it can also be seen as the most particular branch of metaphysics - and certainly the latter is truer of Heidegger's approach to ontology. His study of the nature of Being is one of the key concepts in his work, and potentially the most useful to subsequent students of philosophy. Certainly, Heidegger envisaged his examination of the concept of Being as a radical re-visioning which would impact not only the future, but the past. He planned to re-examine past philosophers and (and possibly show how they had erred), in a Second Part to his seminal Being and Time. Unfortunatley he never achieved the latter, as he never wrote this Second Part. Nevertheless, he did address many issues which have impacted philosophers that have come after him - most notably, of course, the concept of Being, and also the related concept of time."
Abstract This paper examines MartinHeidegger's view, in his essay "Plato's Sophist", of the Aristotelian concepts of "conscience" and "know-how". The paper points out that Heidegger delimits these concepts as modes of disclosure, to reveal the manner in which their deliberation of beings relates to their agent and his experience of "being in the world". "Know-how" concerns itself primarily with the production of objects as form, which are then removed from its sphere of influence to realize their being through proper use. "Conscience" takes as its object life itself, and its dileberations of "excellence" are integrated into the agent. The paper maintains that, according to Heidegger, this creates a transparency of action and "being in the world" (Dasein) that must constantly reassert itself to resist life's natural tendency toward concealment. The paper concludes that the fundamental difference between these two modes of disclosure can be seen in their relationship to "excellence" and the manner in which their products are manifested.
From the Paper "The characteristic of excellence ( ) finds its expression differently in (know-how) and (conscience), revealing a primary distinction between these two modes of disclosure. While both direct themselves toward the becoming of beings which 'may be otherwise', stands beside ( ) its productions, whereas integrates its productions. Excellence ( ) is to manifest the perfection inherently possible to beings, which requires a degree of certitude. T finds this possible, within its limits of disclosure, while can never have such. Though the authentic being of an object is inaccessible to because it does not participate in its use, perfection of form ( ) may be reached through its fundamental methodology. As a set of principles drawn from a multiplicity of experiences, the process of trial and error creates a certainty that the form ( ) has achieved its maximum potential. As with the scientific method, the more experiments that reinforce a theory, the more accurate a representation of reality it is assumed to be. Any error results in a reworking of the theory to include such information, therefore increasing its accuracy ( ). "But in the case of , on the contrary, where it is a matter of a deliberation whose theme is the proper Being of Dasein, every mistake is a personal shortcoming". Errors do not open up the possibility of a higher degree of knowledge; rather, they are a complete corruption of proper being. Every deliberation of is in the form of an either/or proposition: it cannot have an end ( ) of excellence ( ) because it is excellence ( ) in its constant becoming. "The [origin] with which has to do is the action itself. And the which is taken into consideration in is the action itself". Thus, within , that which is uncovered remains uncovered through the constant struggle which orients it always toward its continuous expression in the actions ( ) of authentic Dasein. Conscience may be distorted by the desires and their usurpation of Dasein, but it can never be forgotten."
Abstract This paper summarizes MartinHeidegger's existential analysis of death, as set forth in his work "Being and Time," and then focuses on his claim that death is non-relational and realizes Dasein's utmost potential for being. The writer analyzes these aspects of death as possible sources of individuality for Dasein, and questions why Heidegger believes death is a completely individual experience. The writer extends Heidegger's arguments in order to answer some of the questions that his work evokes, and concludes that since these qualities of death can only be realized in life, they belong to the possibility rather than the actuality of death.
From the Paper "Heidegger begins his analysis by setting forth the problem of death as constitutive of Dasein's Being-a-whole. If death is the totality of Dasein's existence, the one point at which Dasein has extinguished its possibilities and we can "get a whole Dasein into our grasp" (281), then shouldn't this moment be realizable? Instead, the point of actual death is when Dasein ceases to be, and thus wholeness or completion cannot be realized, for Dasein no longer exists as Dasein. As Heidegger states it, "As long as Dasein is as an entity, it has never reached its 'wholeness'. But if it gains such 'wholeness', this gain becomes the utter loss of Being-in-the-world" (280)."
Abstract MartinHeidegger's "The Origin of the Work of Art" is no less ambitious a project than an attempt to discern the very source of art. As such, he attempts to investigate where art itself comes from. The paper shows that, in this complex work, he looks into the relationship of art, the artist, and truth. Further, he discusses the interpretation of art in terms of a circle of interpretation with many different aspects.
From the Paper "The term hermeneutic circle is simply another way of describing Heidegger's circle of interpretation in art. In "The Origin of the Work of Art", Heidegger notes that you cannot fully understand a single part of a work until you understand the whole. Further, he notes that you cannot understand the whole of a work of art until you understand all of the parts of the art. On the surface, Heidegger's circle of interpretation seems tautologous and circular, yet his circle is not a trap."
Abstract This paper discusses the similarities and differences between Carl Roger's phenomenal field Concept, the existentialist vision of Desein as applied by MartinHeidegger, and George Kelly's personal construct theory.
Tags: Phenomenal, Field, Dasein, (existentialist), Personal, Construct, Theory
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between life and death according to Sigmund Freud's death drive and then discusses MartinHeidegger's concept of being-towards-death. It outlines some of the salient points and issue that relate to each thinker and then discusses the philosophies' similarities and differences in relation to the subject of death.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
A Brief Comparison Of The Freudian And Heideggerian Approaches To The Meaning Of Death.
Heidegger's Being-towards-death
Conclusion: The Implication Of Freud And Heidegger's Thinking
From the Paper "If Being-towards-death is recognized in an authentic existential sense as an inescapable human situating, then the possibilities of Being opens up for Dasein. This is a complex and often convoluted area of discourse and can only be briefly hinted at here. What Heidegger is in effect suggesting is that in order for a human being to live authentically he must be fully aware of the ontological and existential implications of his death in the way that it impacts on his life. Therefore death should not be evaded in daily discourse in a "fugitive manner". (Heidegger 297) As Heidegger states in Being and Time " Dying is levelled off to an occurrence which reaches Dasein, to be sure, but belongs to nobody in particular." (Heidegger 297) He also refers to the inauthentic nature of the constant "tranquillizalion about death". (Heidegger 297)"
Abstract This paper examines how the phenomenology of MartinHeidegger deals with, amongst others, some of the crucial issues of modern times; namely, technology, science, and mortality. In particular, it looks at how the neonatal experience takes place within the ambit of a technological environment and is concerned with factors that are related to the issues that such a technological environment creates in terms of a Heideggerian phenomenology. Through a literature review, it attempts review studies of the neonatal experience as it directly relates to Heideggerian phenomenology.
Outline
Introduction
Existentialism and Phenomenology in Relation to the Neonatal Experience
Heidegger: Essential Background
Science and the Neonatal Experience
The Problematics of Death
Neonatal Experience
Ethics and Morality
From the Paper "It should be borne in mind that phenomenology is defined as a mode of thought or philosophy that dissects and focuses on the meaning that exists prior to or behind events and views these events as life experiences. As such, it is more concerned with thought and feeling as components of living experience than with strict theoretical frameworks and preconceptions. This definition of phenomenology fits in very well with the Heideggerian view of contemporary thought, which he considers to have been "enframed" into a certain mode of thought by the history of metaphysics. Heidegger's particular phenomenological viewpoint is extremely appropriate to the investigation and analysis of the neonatal experience."
Abstract This paper analyzes MartinHeidegger's essay "The Concept of Time", which examines the nature of time and his concept of authentic being-in-the-world, or "Dasein". The paper takes a look at Heidegger's inquiry into prevalent notions of 'what time is' , his attempt to account for the continuity of existence experienced by human beings, and subsequently into the temporality of time. Ultimately, the paper addresses the idea that "Dasein", in its ability to interpret its own being, may run ahead to the indeterminate certainty of its own non-existence to expose the entirety of its own time, rendering it accessible in its authenticity as 'how', not simply 'what' or 'when'.
From the Paper "Heidegger observes that even the everyday is running ahead to the future, albeit in an inauthentic manner that loses its own past. "The future is now that to which care clings--not the authentic, futural being of the past, but the future that the present itself cultivates for itself as its own." The present constantly jumps ahead to the next present 'now' in a succession of events analogous to its facticity of objectively rendered significances. The 'fallenness' of Dasein into everydayness causes it to appropriate an irretrievability of the past through the everyday clinging to the present. Authentic history is lost in the material obsession with the now of the present as present: the past is inaccessible as material events that are no longer present. "Because this history and temporality of the present utterly fail to attain the past, they merely have another present." In the everyday experience of present as simultaneity of 'what'-points in space, the past is rendered as a present forever separate from the immediate present. The 'how' that opens from Dasein's being futural gives access to authentic past in the ability to repeat the experience in its interpretation instead of its transient materiality."
Abstract This paper discusses MartinHeidegger's essay, "The Question Concerning Technology" and points out that it puts forth an ontological question about the history of being and the oblivion of beings. The paper specifically focuses on the running theme throughout the essay that modern technology puts man in a horrible position. The paper explains that, according to Heidegger, the original techne was a poetic art that brought things forth into unconcealment and used both mind and body to give us a new object. Modern technology has lost this sense of mind and body and has looked at technology and nature as simply something that needs to be mastered. This jump away from the original poiesis put man in a dangerous position, in which neither object nor the act of revealing is witnessed.
From the Paper "Heidegger sees today's modern technology as a type of revealing. Although there are no longer the types of craftsmen that there once were, there is still a sense of bringing forth a substance. However, the poiesis that was once involved in technology is no longer available in modern technology. The new technology no longer sees nature as a pliable source from which substance and being can be brought forth out of concealment, but rather as a type of reserve for our own needs. For example, there are no longer farmers who see the land as a canvas for their crops. "
