howdy.
1. for an NEH summer youthgrant, i am looking at the metaphorics of
vision/light and power in Heidegger and Levinas (inspired in part by
EL own
critique of MH in "Is Ontology Fundamental".) I have therefore been
trying to
trace the shift in MH's language. To vastly oversimplify, it seems
that in _S und
Z_, vision (as circumspection, understanding, moment of vision, etc)
projects
outwards from Dasein, producing a field in which entities can appear
in their
unconcealedness; conversely, the later Heidegger focuses more on
the ways in
which Being itself produces its own lighting of
concealment/unconcealment for
entities which are granted unto man.
I am trying to locate the place where the shift from the early
MH to the
late MH takes place regarding the topic of vision. my sense is that
MH most
seriously confronts these ideas in his Nietzsche lectures, especially
when
addressing the problematic notions of the will to power and points-
of-
view/perspectival valuation.
I therefore have some questions regarding these texts. Any
opinions or
random guesses would be appreciated.
A. When I first read _S und Z_, it seemed to be shot through with
Nietzsheanism. I was wondering, therefore, whether people on this
list think
that MH's critique of Nietzsche could be considered to be a critique of
MH's own
early work; if MH's analysis of Nietzsche's philosophy as the
consummation of
the Western forgetting of Being could be read as MH's first and most
serious
refutation of the implicit anthropocentrism of _S und Z_.
B. Reading MH is always laborious and agonizing (for me.) So far, I
have only
read the third volume of D. F. Krell's translations of the Nietzsche
lectures. I was
somewhat disheartened to discover that I had already encountered
most, if not
all, of these ideas in the lecture "Nietzsche's Word: God is Dead." I
would ideally
like to trace the development of MH's ideas and of the kehre (in
particular, the
growth of his critique of the will to power and perspectivism)
through the
Nietzsche lectures, but don't think I have the strength to plow
through the 750
remaining pages.
Can anyone either
a. suggest a good overview of these lectures (I have already read
each of DFK's
analyses in the four volumes)
or b. give me pointers to the parts which would cover ground
concerning light,
vision, power, et al. which would not merely reiterate what I have
already read.
or c. give me pointers to an analysis of Heidegger's Kehre or of his
Nietzsche
lectures as a self-critique.
2. On a separate note, I should like to state: With a few exceptions,
like Caputo
or Lingis, so many of Levinas commentators or Levinas-versus-
Heidegger
commentators are way too heavy handed, whereas a lot of levinas'
own busts on
mh are actually pretty funny. somewhere in time and the other
levinas says
something to the effect of "In the turning on of a bathroom switch,
the ontological
problem has been revealed." Also, in Tiberius and Iambilicus, EL
says "For
Heidegger, Dasein is never hungry." not as funny as the previous
quote, but still
a pretty sweet dis.
thanks everyone,
mitch
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