Heidegger

An analogy (whilst notng the limits of analogies):

The visible-light microscope is an immensely useful tool in displaying the
very small beings of the world. But when it comes to attempting to display
beings as small as subatomic particles, it fails for two sorts of reasons:
the so-called quantum effect that the photons necessary to ‘illuminate’ the
electrons (say) have enough energy to ‘whack’ them outa-sight (so to speak);
also, and relatedly, light waves have to have the appropriate range of
wavelengths in relation to the ‘objects’ they are meant to illuminate,
otherwise such objects are effectively invisible. So, the microscope has
limits as a tool for displaying the very small, even though it nonetheless
has great application in relation to what it can be used appropriately.

I am saying that something similar is at work with predicative logic when it
is asked to perform with respect to the ‘invisible’ ‘object’ be-ing.

Of course, given the dominance of such predicatory language styles
especially in the west, an attempt to speak concerning be-ing must needs
produce a great deal of tension and tortuous language can result in the
attempt not to strictly perform predicatively. The attempt to
(unsuccessfully) predicate or not predicate be-ing can both lead to attempts
instead to literally invoke be-ing (’sound/play it out’) rather than say
something about be-ing (’think it in the perspective of beings’):

“And yet: whenever a being is, be-ing must sway. But how does be-ing sway?
But is a being? From where else does thinking decide here if not according
to the truth of be-ing? Thus be-ing can no longer be thought of in the
perspective of beings; it must be enthought from within be-ing itself.”

“Following a simple shift of essential thinking, the happening of the truth
of be-ing must be transposed from the first beginning into the other, so
that the wholly other song of be-ing sounds in the playing-forth.”

[Heidegger, Beitrage, pp 5 & 7 {Emad & Maly translation, 1999}]

regards

michaelP

Posted on Sunday, June 8th, 2008 at 6:04 am
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