Time is relative to human existence and without that human existence time will cease to be, or at least will no longer temporalize itself. Time is a construct of human understanding of it. Since much understanding of it is erroneous and flawed we must undertake the Destruktion.
Martin Heidegger is a difficult read. I find myself only swimming in the shallow section of the Heidegger pool and then only with the assistance of multiple swimmies. I am too afraid to cross the rope into the deep end. I am afraid of what I might discover on multiple levels. I am afraid that I might discover that I am indeed in the deep end of such a scary pool and that this scary pool full of what I once thought was just ordinary water has new depths of meaning and hidden things! EGAD! That is just too much disclosure for me to take. I just hope that I'm not thrown into the deep end without knowing...
Heidegger has a bit of a theory on everything but his main point seems to be that much of Western Philosophy, the most valuable tool that the Western World has in connecting with reality and being. The problem is that Western Philosophy has pretty much misunderstood the term "being" since the days of Plato. That's a lot of incorrect being. Prior to Plato, the Pre-Socratics searched for the meaning of "Being". Since Plato, we as Western thinkers have taken the notion of "Being" to be so understood that we needn't study what it is to be. So, to be or not to be is not the question but what is to be is.
Some of the commentaries, in fact most that I have glanced over that talk about Heidegger's and his consistent penchant for coining or rather re-coining words and phrases have something to the effect of "this German word is rather difficult to translate into English" or "there isn't really any translation for this word". Very helpful guys! Thanks. I guess to understand Heidegger we might have to gain a mastery of German. We'll just put that on our little (although growing) to do list. But, there are a couple of words/concepts that I find intriguing and worthy of note in spite of their difficulty in translating.
First, the word Geworfenheit (thrownness). Heidegger likes to highlight the arbitrary nature of our existence. For him we are not placed in a specific time or place or generation for any specific reason, rather we are thrown into existence at a certain time. Now time is not some linear thing with a past, present and a future. Time is divided into different categories: the past, the present and the notion of the eternal are modes of temporality. Temporality is how we see time. Time itself is but a construct that exists only because it needs to exist for human beings to understand their existence. Maybe I chose this one because I like the German word, but it also shows Heidegger's view on fate and determinism as well. We are thrown into existence with a whole bunch of possibilities afforded to us. The one great and absolute possiblity we have as human beings is death. Very encouraging no? But hopefully know you understand my pool joke at the end of paragraph II... You forgot it didn't you? Go reread, have a little chuckle.
Second, die Kehre (the Turn). The Turn is a point in Heidegger's life where he begins to change his focus in philosophical studies. For our purposes die Kehre might have something to do in the story where the main character has a sudden, albeit arbitrary change in focus.
Third, disclosure. Disclosure is the business of human beings. It is at once the disclosure of the facts of our existence and surroundings that we have been thrown into and the disclosure of new and hidden meanings in this already symbolic world that we have been thrown into.
Fourth, Lichtung (clearing) & Destruktion (Destruction). Lichtung is literally a clearing, like a clearing in a woods, but it also has some connotation with light. It is in such clearings that we come to understand being and as being stands in this clearing we come to understand things around being. The reason we need these clearings is that being has become, and thus all truth, has become muddled in our understanding because we have not really sought the meaning of being in seeking the meaning of everything else. Destruktion then is the destruction of traditional thinking that are associated with some of the most important questions of philosophy. By destruction we can get to the root of being and thus, all other things. By destruction we can get past Plato's assumptions and return to the Pre-Socratic and primordial discussions of the pressing questions of philosophy.
So where is the story in all of this? Not sure yet, but the idea of time as having an dependent existence on human beings fascinates me. What if time is truly relative to human beings? What then happens when time is relative to each individual human being? (Not really Heidegger's philosophy, but something for a story). The turn has to come into play. The main characters have to be at work in doing some kind of disclosure. Maybe a whodunnit detective story?? Something is coming together, maybe I'll simply look for a clearing and see if it comes to light.
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