Martin Heidegger

Introduction

Born in 1889, shortly after Nietzsche’s psychological breakdown, Martin Heidegger expanded on Nietzsche’s nihilistic worldview that resulted from the death of God. Heidegger’s philosophy is divided into his early and later works, separated by a Kebre (u-turn) he underwent in the early 1930s. His early work is distinguished by his book, Being and Time in which Heidegger develops his belief that human identity is informed by the physical world around us. Heidegger’s pessimism develops in his later period with the notion of all things and people being reduced to resources for production. Unlike Adam Smith and Karl Marx, Heidegger does not believe in an “end of history,” but rather sees the revelation of life’s purpose and guardianship of its meaning as perpetual. Though he rejects the traditional Christian theology and characteristics of God, Heidegger’s philosophy supports the notion of a transcendent and mysterious “Being” that is God-like in its omniscience.

Early Period: Ways of Being

Heidegger’s understanding of the individual differentiates from Adam Smith’s theory of moral sentiments. While Smith believes that people’s actions are determined by their emotions, Heidegger dismisses the existence of an inner self. He rejects the Cartesian view that each person has a predetermined soul. For Heidegger, a person is defined by their behavior and use of equipment. People are known as Dasein because they have an understanding of their own being and shape it through their actions. People are also defined by their use of equipment; equipment being any tangible object used to achieve goals that establish an identity. Thus, there is no distinct person without the physical world around them. “Being-among-other-people” is part of Heidegger’s definition of Dasein. The apparent distinctions people observe between themselves and others further inform their notion of personal identity. Living in a society with other Dasein creates strong social roles as individuals can be seen as similar or different to others based on their interaction with equipment. This fosters peer pressure to conform to social norms that reduce individual excellence to group averageness. Heidegger opposes this lack of self-ownership and individuality because it creates an inauthentic sense of being, the sense of being unmoored from one’s purpose. For this reason, Heidegger would staunchly oppose Karl Marx’s communist philosophy for its promotion of group identity. While it is more comfortable to conform to prescribed social roles, it denies one’s authentic self and is ultimately a decadent way of being.

Later Period: Technology and Gestell

The implications of what Heidegger refers to as “violent” technologies are the primary concern of his later philosophy. Ancient technology, like the technology used by the ancient Greeks, was designed to complement the forces of nature and make use of them as they were, rather than attempt to alter them. Heidegger contrasts this with modern technology’s attack on nature as it imposes its will on nature through manufacturing. Heidegger defines the essence of modern technology as Gestell. Gestell is the worldview in which everything is revealed as a resource for production, including natural resources, machines, and people. Present-day society showcases a constant state of working where people are focused on producing more goods and services, as opposed to simply “being.” People must view the world in work-related ways to be constantly working. As the meaning of the world is revealed to individuals through their behavior, the treatment of everything as a resource perpetuates the toxic cycle of viewing everything as nothing but a resource. While it is natural for people to view physical objects as equipment to realize their goals, Gestell is an all-encompassing perspective that eliminates all other possibilities of meaning, stripping things of any deeper significance than resources. This nihilistic worldview has contributed to phenomena such as environmental destruction, intense pressure for students to succeed academically, and long hours becoming commonplace in the workforce. At the core of these effects is a lost sense of humanity and totalizing exploitation.

Capitalism as a Promoter of Gestell

When people fall victim to Gestell, their worldview is confined to only one horizon of disclosure, or one understanding of the world. For this reason, Gestell is a manifestation of the concept of metaphysics. Metaphysics is the failure to realize there are other horizons of disclosure beyond what is apparent to you. With Gestell, the only worldview that is apparent is the one of work and production, hence everything comes to be seen as a resource. Heidegger proposes holidays or vacation time as times when people can step out of their everyday mindset and reflect on their life as a whole. It is crucial that the authentic holiday not be overshadowed by work to allow for the individual and nature to be seen as more than resources, and thus treat them with care. The purpose of vacation today would be abhorred by Heidegger. It functions as a period of stress relief that is designed to prepare people to return to work at maximum efficiency. People are so drained by the constant pressure to produce that they cannot escape Gestell even on vacation time. For these reasons, Heidegger would be opposed to how Adam Smith’s capitalist market system values constant innovation and the relentless pursuit of profit. Competition for wealth and success is encouraged and drives people to work in accordance with Gestell.

Conclusion

Heidegger is so concerned about the effects of Gestell on humanity because it inhibits further inquiry into important existential questions. Heidegger’s philosophy states that truths are only apparent to us based on our horizon of disclosure. As we discover further horizons, additional knowledge and truths are revealed to us. However, there is a limit to these horizons of disclosure, and truths such as causation and the meaning of life are entirely unintelligible to humans because they are beyond the ultimate horizon. Heidegger’s philosophy affirms a discoverable purpose for one’s individual life, even if Gestell has rendered life as a whole meaningless. Unlike Karl Marx, Heidegger does not believe in an “end of history,” but rather a perpetual pursuit of knowledge and horizons of disclosure.

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