File spoon-archives/heidegger.archive/heidegger_2003/heidegger.0302, message 266


From: "Anthony Crifasi" <crifasi-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: neither/nor (was: Righteous War? Or bluff?)
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 18:24:45 +0000


michaelP wrote:

>how possible
>is ontological speech? I mean, ontical speech is speech about beings, and,
>one might suggest, ontological speech is speech about being (the being of
>beings, the be-ing of beings, the thinging of things, the appearing of
>appearances, etc). But, can one speak of being like speaking of beings?
>Articulate rational speech demands a subject (topic) about which to speak; 
>a
>being or a category of beings, or even all beings, the totality of 
>beings...
>etc. But, being is that to which we (insofar as we speak at all, are
>philosophic speakers) are sub-ject (since we are beings too); thus speaking
>of being as a topic is inevitable but irrelevant, thus, ontological speech
>is impossible in the sense of articulate rational speech about some thing
>(since being is not a thing). Rather being bespeaks us even as we speak of
>beings (i.e., ontically). So, what in hell is ontological speech? Can we
>speak of that which we are in the grip of even as we speak of some thing,
>some being or beings, some thing(s) that we get a grip on?

Heidegger obviously thinks that we are not limited to mere negation, because 
he says that it is only the inauthentic self that equates Being with beings, 
so that since Dasein's essence is not an essence (i.e., not a being), then 
the inauthentic self sees Dasein as nothing whatsoever. But in section 40 of 
SuZ (on anxiety), he says that it is precisely in this anxiety over the lack 
of a being to "get a grip on" that Dasein's authentic self is disclosed - as 
projected understanding, projecting itself upon possibilities. So it is 
precisely in anxiety that inauthenticity and authenticity as disclosed 
possibilities for Dasein. That is clearly not a merely negative exposition. 
It is negative ONLY IF one insists that anything positive must be a being in 
the first place.

> > I think I can elaborate. Heidegger's philosophy does not imply that we 
>can
> > actually live neutrally. We are already thrown into the world. What is
> > "neutral" is not our actual living, but the ontological structure of 
>that
> > living. As the structure of being-in-the-world in general, it must 
>encompass
> > ANY possible existence in the world, and therefore any possible "side"
> > whatsoever. But some mistake the ontological for the ontic (for example,
> > mistaking being-with for an ontic "community" such as the UN), and 
>therefore
> > try to claim that Heidegger's philosophy has more of an affinity with 
>this
> > or that side. They therefore think that Heidegger's philosophy of living
> > cannot be neutral, without specifying the precise way that it is 
>neutral,
> > and the way it is not.
>
>Thanks, Anthony... I would add that the comportment I am seeking (via
>Heidegger but hopefully not parroting Heidegger) is not 'neutrality' either
>if we can say: being neutral is taking on the side of not taking sides. I
>mean, what remains when we 'subtract' for, against and neutral (in the 
>sense
>above) from being-towards-X? (where X might be some ontical concern, like
>the imminent new gulf war). Being-at-peace (intuitively) seems like this
>'what-remains', this 'remainder' and is perhaps a more 'genuine' (what do I
>mean here?) response to (say) war than being-against, being-for or neutral?

Then being-at-peace would not have its usual meaning, because it would have 
to include as one of its possibilities, being-at-war (i.e., being pro-war). 
So you can say that being-at-peace is more genuine or authentic, but only if 
"peace" here does not mean ontical peace (i.e., does not mean anti-war). For 
that reason, I think being-at-peace would not be the best way to describe 
what you are trying to describe.

Anthony Crifasi

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