Why Heidegger Is One of the Prominent Philosophers - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION Heidegger is considered to be among the prominent philosophers of 20th century, although his work is considered to be controversial, much because he has evolved certain new concepts and perspectives which were previously beyond imagination. He has made immense contribution towards in different areas including, phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, political theory, psychology, theology, and postmodernism. He made significant contribution for the development of ontology, i.e. study of being. He practiced phenomenological analysis of human existence in an attempt to access being, with reference to the temporal and historical character. He also discussed the nihilism of modern technology, and its generated society and tried to correlate the thoughts and perspectives of the western philosophical tradition with the question of being. DISCUSSION: Ready-to-Hand & Present-at-Hand Heidegger has approved the explanation with regard to philosophy as 'its own time comprehended in thought'; the same thought has been delivered by the historians. According to Heidegger, the history of philosophy was to be considered as Western civilization's ever-deepening forgetfulness or oblivion of being, and he disapproved the belief that supported progressive self-realization of spirit version of history f philosophy. Heidegger was also supportive of the notion that Eastern intellectual thoughts can be of support towards technological understanding of being. Heidegger once commented that, 'I am convinced that a change can only be prepared from the same place in the world where the modern technological world originated. It cannot come about by the adoption of Zen Buddhism or other Eastern experiences of the world. The help of the European tradition and a new appropriation of that tradition are needed for a change in thinking. Thinking will only be transformed by a thinking that has the same origin and destiny. The technological world must be superseded in the Hegelian sense, not removed, superseded, but not by human beings alone'(G. Neske, 1990). Heideggar's philosophy has much in similar with the philosophy proposed by Edmund Husserl. Heidegger was much impressed by the article of Husserl on Logical Investigations. Heidegger acknowledged that Husserl's phenomenology produced significant impact on his personal work. Phenomenology is with reference to the science of consciousness and the related objects. The Cartesian tradition has been foundation for phenomenology, Husserl is of the opinion that one can reach the phenomenological attitude, based on the detail analysis of the content of consciousness, from natural attitude, based on actual world and related affairs by the application of methodological procedure. Freedom from prejudice and achievement of purity is possible through phenomenological reduction. Heidegger believes that phenomenology is based on separate analysis of consciousness. DASEIN: Ready-to-Hand & Present-at-Hand Being and Time is supportive of Husserlian phenomenology, and Heidegger has tried to explore the different modes of the existence of the beings, and the experience of its encounter. He analyzed the concept of being in a detailed manner, and referred to the daily life as utensils, or in particular mood of anxiety, and has further revealed the identity of Dasein, and terms it to be particular kind of being. Heidegger has denied the concept with reference to the constitution of the original on the basis of pure consciousness, rather is of the opinion that Dasein in its being is the core of philosophy. Heidegger has forwarded many thoughts which need to be answered. In his letter to Husserl he asked, "What is the mode of being of that being in which the world constitutes itself'" he has stressed over the need to evaluate the constitution supportive of the existence of Dasein, and if certain mysteries with reference to Dasein are unanswered, it will have an impact on the being in general. He wrote to Husserl that, "universal problem of being refers to that which constitutes and to that which is constituted." Heidegger has tried to conceive phenomenology in a broad manner, with an etymological approach. Heidegger has applied the term phenomenology for the designation of the method, which is in contradiction Husserl, who has considered phenomenology to be the basis for the philosophy. Heidegger has termed phenomenology as an exercise of ontology. According to him, "Phenonenology is the way of access to what is to become the theme of ontology" (Carol. 2005). Phenomenological method has to be applied to secure the understanding of being. The access to being is indirect because it is considered to be being of a being, and is accessible through existing entity therefore phenomenological reduction is important. Heidegger considered Dasein to be source through which normal being is accessible. We observe that Heidegger has employed Husserlian phenomenological reduction in a different manner. Heideggar's philosophy is not based on consciousness, and phenomenological or theoretical attitude of consciousness is secondary mode for the analysis of Dasein's being. Heidegger and Husserl share similar opinion with reference to the transcendental constitution of the world, and its failure to explore through naturalistic or physical explanations. Heidegger has termed phenomenology as method to explore being, Being and Time philosophy is considered to be phenomenological ontology which is complementary and refuse the analysis of Dasein. HUMAN MIND: Ready-to-Hand & Present-at-Hand According to Aristotle the major feature for differentiating between natural entities with artifacts has been movement. Heidegger has contradicted the idea, and is of the opinion that entities inherit auto-disclosive phenomena. Heidegger has observed that these entities have their origin from unknown ness into known ness, 'or from distortion into clarity, or from forgotten ness into remembrance', and has termed as possible sources for the existence of the entity' (Carol. 2005). All of these are modes of appropriation, ways an entity comes into presence. Thus, to see an entity as disclosed is to see it as kinetic. And that means not only seeing the present entity but also indeed priory co-seeing the being of the entity, its pres-ab-sentiality'. Heidegger has evolved relationship between the self-disclosive structure of human being and the auto-disclosive structure of entities, and has stressed that former supports the latter. 'Human being is present to itself, that is, is the openness of Dasein only by being appropriated into its own self-absence. But the openness is the arena in which entities show up as this or that, i.e., in their being. The openness is given by the human being's kinetic self-absence; and that absence in turns allow for the finite presence of entities as this or that'. He further elaborated, 'Being itself recedes, but, as this recess, being is precisely the pull that claims human being's being as the place of being's own arrival, 'the disclosure of entities has a privative dimension that is registered in human being's transcendence in such a way as to allow the disclosure of entities'' (Nietzsche, pp. 368). Dasein has German origin, and means life or existence. Heidegger has termed Dasein more than just a normal human being; in his opinion Dasein is source for the disclosure of being. Heidegger philosophy is based on many mysterious thoughts, with reference to the interpretation of Dasein. Heidegger is of the opinion that Dasein has deepened meaning, and refuted the universal concept of the Dasein. Heidegger's change in approach towards Dasein is still in connection with the questions with reference to Being and Time. Heidegger has attempted to relate and explore the concept of being. 'The ontological difference, the distinction between being and beings, is fundamental for Heidegger. The forgetfulness of being which, according to him, occurs in the course of western philosophy amounts to the oblivion of this distinction' (John, 1994) . Heidegger was in quest to explore the possible experience of the being of entities, and avoided the discussion with reference to the being-of-entities. Heidegger expressed his interest to know more about the experience of all modes of being, the source which emits the being of entities to human experience, ignoring the characteristics of the being based on ontological or theological aspects. (Graham, 2002) Heidegger solved the puzzle through phenomenological and kinetic approach. The phenomenological transformation is based on the exposure of the meaningful disclosure to human experience. Heidegger has favored the tradition which discusses the being of entities with reference to the human experience. He claimed that, 'metaphysics failed to see whatever it is that gives or dispenses the being of entities, that being is intrinsically kinetic, i.e., an ontological movement of disclosure that is bound up with the ontological movement of human being itself' (John, 1994). There is a relationship between the self-disclosive structure of human being and the auto-disclosive structure of entities. According to Heidegger, 'human being is present to itself', explains that openness of Dasein. 'The openness of Dasein is the arena in which entities show up as this or that, i.e. in their being. The openness is given by the human being's kinetic self-absence; and that absence in turns allow for the finite presence of entities as this or that' (Thomas, 1984). Entity's movement into appearance is marked as appropriation process. The philosophy of Heidegger has highlighted that Plato's introduced bi-dimensionality of appropriation i.e. movement and appearance was ignored, and therefore only movement was considered fundamental base. 'The eidos loses its reference to the entity's emergence into disclosure and becomes instead that-as-which an entity presents itself for possible intellectual viewing by human being' (Thomas, 1984). According to Heidegger, the understanding of truth is not only based on the pres-ab-sential disclosure of entities, rather it is based on the intellectual correspondence shared between human being and the entities within their disclosed present ness. 'As privative presence drop out of the picture, any hope of grasping the corresponding kinetic nature of human being is lost. The being of entities is interpreted as stable disclosed ness, and human being is understood as the one who renders entities meaningfully present in that stable appearance. And since only what is unmoving and eternal is, truly stable, only the eternal shows itself as true being. Temporal, moving entities are relegated to the status of me on, not-really-in-being' (Thomas, 1984). REFERENCES 1. Thomas Sheehan. Heidegger's Philosophy of Mind. Contemporary Philosophy: A New Survey. Philosophy of Mind, Vol. IV. 1984. 2. Graham Harman. Tool-Being: Heidegger and the Metaphysics of Objects. Black Well Publishers. 2002. pp. 123. 3. John L. Protevi. Time and Exteriority: Aristotle, Heidegger, Derrida. Bucknell University Press. 1994. pp. 120 4. Carol J. White, Mark Ralkowski. Time and Death: Heidegger's Analysis of Finitude. Prentice Hall. 2005. pp. 24. Read More