23 the Early Heidegger Dermot Moran University College Dublin
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The Early Heidegger Dermot Moran University College Dublin “The Early Heidegger,” in François Raffoul and Eric Sean Nelson, eds, The Bloomsbury Companion to Heidegger (New York & London: Continuum, 2013), Chapter Two, pp. 23–30. In this chapter I shall discuss the work of had already completed both his doctorate Martin Heidegger from 1912 to 1927, but I and his Habilitation thesis before he first shall concentrate especially on the met Husserl in Freiburg shortly after the Freiburg and Marburg lecture courses latter’s arrival there in April 1916. Husserl leading up to Being and Time. himself had just lost his son in the war and Heidegger’s intellectual origins are it seems that, at least in Husserl’s eyes, extremely important for his overall Heidegger gradually began to fit the role philosophical outlook but also he tended to of Husserl’s adopted son. Heidegger a degree of self-mythologization in later himself displayed less than filial loyalty in retrospective writings. Heidegger’s his public and private evaluations of the intellectual development was less ‘old man’. monolithic and focused that his later Largely because of the poverty of his assertions to William Richardson1 and parents, Heidegger had begun his studies others might lead one to think. For as a Catholic seminarian and theology instance, it is clear that the ‘question of student. His 1914 doctoral thesis, an Being’ (die Seinsfrage) is not the dominant analysis of the nature of judgement in theme of his early writings, which are which he criticised both Rickert and Lask, more concerned to make precise his was entitled Die Lehre vom Urteil in understanding of the very nature of Psychologismus (The Doctrine of philosophy and to articulate the nature of Judgement in Psychologism, GA 1 59- historical human existence (what he first 188),4 written under the direction of Arthur called ‘life’ and then ‘Dasein’) in facticity Schneider, who held the Chair of Christian and finitude. Secondly, contrary to his later Philosophy in Freiburg. It is a somewhat 1963 account in ‘My Way to pedestrian critical discussion of Phenomenology’ (TB 74) it is not at all psychologism that shows few hints of his clear that Franz Brentano’s On the Several later genius. Senses of Being in Aristotle, 2 the first Heidegger’s Habilitation thesis was philosophical text Heidegger read while entitled Die Kategorien- und still in the Gymnasium, really did offer Bedeutungslehre des Duns Scotus (The much of an inspiration.3 At best, it led him Categories and the Doctrine of Meaning in to distinguish the existentialia of Dasein Duns Scotus, reprinted GA I 189-412), from the categories that apply to other under the entities. Finally, despite their close friendship and collaboration for more than a decade (1916 to 1927), Heidegger was never a student of Husserl’s. Heidegger 23 direction of Heinrich Rickert. This thesis this first course, his question is: what is was on a text supposedly by Duns Scotus, involved in the very idea of philosophy? but in fact written by Thomas of Erfurt. Or, as he puts it, he wants to identify the Already in his Habilitation (1915), ‘essential elements of the idea of Heidegger had claimed that philosophy philosophy’ (GA 56/57 39/TDP 32). had to be not just about values but about Heidegger presents philosophy as a ‘the value of life (Lebenswert)’. scientific attitude that breaks through the Furthermore, he maintained that the formal natural attitude and heightens the sense of study of Scholastic thought needed to be life. Philosophy is presented as a balanced by a phenomenological ‘primordial science’ (Urwissenschaft) that exploration of religious experience: should not be allowed degenerate into a ‘worldview’ (Weltanschauung). I hold the philosophical, more Phenomenology cannot be understood as a exactly, the phenomenological standpoint at all. Philosophy is unique in handling of the mystical, moral- that it contemplates itself through its theological, and ascetic writings of history and in this way awakens to a medieval scholasticism to be higher spiritual life: especially crucial in its decisive insight into this fundamental Every history and history of characteristic of Scholastic philosophy constitutes itself in life in psychology. (GA 1 205, my and for itself, life which is itself translation) historical in an absolute sense. (GA 56/57 21/ TDP 18) In his efforts to gain an academic position, Heidegger tailored his curriculum vitae It is clear that Heidegger is interested in a and interests. Thus he presented himself as way of capturing life, while still having someone interested in the Neo-Scholastic sympathy for it. Heidegger questions the revival of medieval philosophy. Later Karl manner in which Rickert and other Neo- Jaspers would record in his Autobiography Kantians had misunderstood the nature of that in conversation with Heidegger he value and validity, but he is also critical of expressed his surprise that ‘The dedication phenomenology—saying the concept of of Heidegger’s first book to Rickert, of his ‘lived experience’ (Erlebnis) has now been second to Husserl, emphasizes a devalued to the point of meaninglessness connection with people of whom he had (GA 56/57 66/TDP 55) but he is still spoken to me with contempt’.5 Heidegger trying to remain true to the experience and was certainly career oriented. attend to what is given in it, filtering out On 21st January 1919, benefitting all misinterpretation. greatly from the support of Husserl, This first lecture course gives the Heidegger officially became a salaried impression of a young philosopher member of the Freiburg philosophy struggling to articulate intuitions that are seminar.6 Four days later, on 25th January, not yet clear to him. The primary sense is the ‘War Emergency Semester’ of someone resisting and attempting to (Kriegnotsemester) commenced, and throw off the existing academic tradition in Heidegger offered his first lecture course, Germany, especially the Neo-Kantian ‘The Idea of Philosophy and the Problem emphasis on epistemology of Worldview’, in which he explored his own understanding of the true method of philosophy and its relation to phenomenology (GA 56/7 /TDP). The influence of Rickert is clearly visible. In 24 and theory of science. There are fore- presupposes the theoretical. ‘Thingliness shadowings – when the circular nature of [Dinghaftigkeit] marks out a quite original philosophical understanding is mentioned, sphere distilled out the environmental’ or the meaning of the ‘questioning (GA 56/57 89/TDP 75). Once we grasp comportment’ (GA 56/57 66/TDP 56), the things, their worldliness disappears. The manner in which humans always belong to expression ‘it worlds’ is supposed to an ‘environing world’ (Umwelt), the way convey the character of pre-theoretical in which things are always experienced as experience. In this first lecture course, worldly, such that one can say ‘it worlds’ Heidegger is interested in the manner in (es weltet, GA 56/57 73/TDP 61). Perhaps which the world as such is presupposed in most intriguingly, Heidegger is already various kinds of encounters with things. trying to distinguish between objective Heidegger continued to lecture at knowledge which involves distance from Freiburg from 1919 to 1923 and his things and a kind of ‘event of courses show him developing an appropriation’ or ‘happening’ (Ereignis) in independent critical perspective on the which one is self-involved. Most then contemporary philosophical scene, importantly Heidegger is envisaging that specifically Neo-Kantian philosophy phenomenology must incorporate a new (specifically Rickert, Natorp, Windelband, and expanded kind of intuition— and Emil Lask), phenomenology (Husserl, ‘hermeneutic intuition’ (die Scheler), hermeneutics, and life- hermeneutische Intuition, GA 56/57 philosophy (Dilthey, Simmel). No matter 117/TDP 98). Already in 1919 Heidegger what was the announced course title, is attempting to fuse hermeneutical Heidegger always used the occasion to interpreting with phenomenological think deeply about the nature of intuiting. philosophy as such (what is it? What kind One of the early Heidegger’s major of science? How do we reach it?) and more concerns is the meaning of realism. He specifically to interrogate the meaning and diagnoses critical realism and critical value of phenomenology as a mode of idealism as both suffering from the same approach to the issues (and, in passing, defect—in believing our sense of world treated in his lectures of issues such as the and of objects are somehow constituted out nature of philosophy as a science, the of ‘sense data’ (Sinnesdaten). Both meaning of ‘worldview’, the ‘externalities’ idealism and realism presume the primacy of current study of philosophy in the of theoretical knowledge--‘the primacy of university, the need for university reform, the theoretical (Primat des Theoretischen, and so on). GA 56/57 87/TDP 73) and assume its Husserl’s own opinion of Heidegger stance toward the world as being simply at that time is instructive. At first Husserl the way things are. The problem is: what is saw Heidegger as a ‘confessionally bound’ to be understood as the immediately Catholic, but he came to appreciate the given? (GA 56/57 85/TDP 71). Realism seriousness with which Heidegger and idealism fail to grasp what being-in- appeared to have embraced Protestantism the-world really means. Heidegger wants and regarded him as something of an to understand how the ‘environmental’ expert on Martin Luther. For, on 9th (das Umweltliche) is experienced: ‘how do January 1919, just prior to taking up his I live and experience the environmental?’ post as Husserl’s assistant, (GA 56/57 88/TDP 74). Heidegger is already stressing that our primary engagement with things is practical. We should not even say the environment is ‘given’ because givenness already 25 Heidegger himself, in a letter to his former in terms of explaining the relation between confessor Fr. Krebs, signalled his Dasein and temporality, now deliberately departure from ‘the system of Catholicism’ employing his own technical jargon.