Dear Greg,
You're a little bit, as you say "off base," by my reading
of the Letter on Humanism. The point of the letter is that
Heidegger is not identifying with "humanism." There is
human nature to which we need to be true. There is only
the condition of being in the world. So, on this basis
he is here taking issue with purported "humanisms." For,
if there is no universal human nature, then all efforts
to order things on the so-called "human" measure, must be
not only erroneous, but also repressive of the possibilities
of being in the world, and thereby darkening the world wherein
the being that is Dasein "is."
Since the header for this thread is Heidegger and the Greeks,
and since you raise the Nietzschean reinterpretation of the
Greek world in your mention of Dionysian and Apollonian,
and since this thread has been revolving around the question
of the Kehre, your nice note has brought to mind one more
way in which the Kehre might be considered. I think everyone
would concur that pre-Kehre, Heidegger indeed leaned toward
humanism, or at least retained the attitude of humanism.
The Letter on Humanism that Greg was insightful enough to
recognize as germane to this question, demonstrates the
change of his thought, post-Kehre.
Stephen Schneck
--- from list heidegger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---
You're a little bit, as you say "off base," by my reading
of the Letter on Humanism. The point of the letter is that
Heidegger is not identifying with "humanism." There is
human nature to which we need to be true. There is only
the condition of being in the world. So, on this basis
he is here taking issue with purported "humanisms." For,
if there is no universal human nature, then all efforts
to order things on the so-called "human" measure, must be
not only erroneous, but also repressive of the possibilities
of being in the world, and thereby darkening the world wherein
the being that is Dasein "is."
Since the header for this thread is Heidegger and the Greeks,
and since you raise the Nietzschean reinterpretation of the
Greek world in your mention of Dionysian and Apollonian,
and since this thread has been revolving around the question
of the Kehre, your nice note has brought to mind one more
way in which the Kehre might be considered. I think everyone
would concur that pre-Kehre, Heidegger indeed leaned toward
humanism, or at least retained the attitude of humanism.
The Letter on Humanism that Greg was insightful enough to
recognize as germane to this question, demonstrates the
change of his thought, post-Kehre.
Stephen Schneck
--- from list heidegger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---