We-problem in Heidegger's Thought

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• Masoud Zamani

Assistant Professor of Iranian Institute of Philosophy (IRIP), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Highlights

Introduction

Some years after the appearance of Being and Time (B. T.) Heidegger occupied himself with metaphysics und tried to found his own metaphysics, which turned out to be fundamentally different from traditional one. What characterizes Heidegger's metaphysics is the fact that it is based on human being, i. e. on Dasein, as he emphasized repeatedly. But the Dasein is no general concept of human being. Actually Heidegger allways represents the Dasein in a totally concrete situation: some time it is made concrete by certain space and time, some time by metaphysics itself and some time by the modern science. Nevertheless at same time he makes it concrete first of all by a "We", as Heidegger uses it in "our Dasein", "our Dasein today" and "our historical Dasein".    

We-Question in Heidegger's Works after Being and Time

The first part of the present deals with the We-problem in Heidegger's works written following the publication of B. T. As we will see our study will show more or less the various philosophical aspects of the We-problem; for example: Metaphysics, its fundamental concepts, the metaphysical western history, fundamental attunement of Dasein, boredom (Langeweile) as fundamental attunement for metaphysics, sadness (Trauer) as fundamental attunement for poetry etc.

We-problem in Being and Time                         

On the basis of what is achieved in first part, now the part two of the article returns to B. T. A quotation from On Time and Being shows that the main aim of the Heidegger's masterwork is "our Dasein". Nevertheless here we would focus on two idioms of B. T., which indicate of individuality and personality Dasein, i. e. mineness (Jemeinigkeit), actuality (Jeweiligkeit). With the help of § 9 of B. T. und two of Heidegger lectures we will establish that Heidegger's Dasein isn't a general concept of human being, rather a very specific as well-defined fact.

Conclusion

Therefore the Dasein doesn’t mean the human being as such, but he is actually the "European man". His concretion and facticity will be achieved by carrying out the hermeneutic turn in "our Dasein". It means, "our Dasein" must be understood more by "our", by "we" in Dasein, who normally is misunderstood as a general concept. To this concretion and facticity belong historicity too, which Heidegger analyze with the help of metaphysics. Apart from all this, the We-Problem is extremely fruitful for interpretation and understanding of B. T.

References

-      Heidegger, Martin (1996) Wegmarken; 2. Aufl., Gesammtausgabe Bd. 9,  Frankfurt a. M., Vittorio Klostermann

-      Heidegger, Martin (1994) Beiträge zur Philosophie (Vom Ereignis); 2. Aufl., Gesammtausgabe Bd. 65, Frankfurt a. M., Vittorio Klostermann.

-      Heidegger, Martin (1989) Holderlins Hymnen »Germanien« und »Der Rhein«; 2. Aufl., Gesammtausgabe Bd. 39, Frankfurt a. M., Vittorio Klostermann.

-      Heidegger, Martin (1983) Die Grundbegriffe der Metaphysik. Welt-Endlichkeit-Einsamkeit; Gesammtausgabe Bd. 29/30; Frankfurt a. M., Vittorio Klostermann.

-      Heidegger, Martin  (1977) Sein und Zeit; Gesammtausgabe Bd. 2; Frankfurt a. M., Vittorio Klostermann.

Keywords

• Heidegger
• Dasein
• our Dasein today
• we-problem
• metaphysics