In a move that is at odds with what I am calling the…
““In a move that is at odds with what I am calling the Unmooring thesis, Heidegger wants to show that modern philosophy is the “logical” consequence of Plato’s humanistic legacy. For Kant, as for the Greeks, [A5] thinking (as Logos—forms of judgment—categories—reason) gets the upper hand in establishing the perspective for interpreting beings as such. Additionally, following Descartes’s procedure, thinking as “thinking” comes to dominate; and beings themselves become [A1] perceptum (represented) or object, in accordance with the same [legacy] historical reason. Therefore thinking cannot get to a [ICS] ground of Da-sein; i.e., the question of the [A2] truth of be-ing is unaskable here.45 The Greeks allowed thinking to get “the upper hand” in the correct ascertainment of the Forms until it came to dominate interpretation completely, eliminating A2 Unconcealment Truth (rendering it “unaskable”) and radically altering man and Being. The very essence of man itself changes, in that man becomes subject. . . . Man becomes that being upon which all that is, is grounded as regards the manner of its Being and its truth. Man becomes the relational center of that which is as such. But this is possible only when the comprehension of what is as a whole changes. (Heidegger, QT 128; see also 151; Heidegger, PR 76–77)””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Heidegger argues that modern philosophy, rooted in Plato and Kant, elevates abstract thinking over the direct experience of being, making the truth of existence inaccessible.
In simple terms: Thinking dominates, hiding true being.
Recognize and balance thought with lived experience.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- academic lectures
- philosophical debates
- teaching existentialism
- personal reflection
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does abstract thought limit our understanding of being?
- Can we reclaim unmediated experience in daily life?
Overemphasis on rational analysis can neglect embodied knowledge.