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Temporality

Itisappropriatethatwiththis,ourfinallecture,wehavereachedapeculiar'turningpoint'inthetextapointatwhichthe
textbeginsareturntotheentireanalysisapoint,ifyouwill,inwhichthetextbeginsanew.Inasense,Being&Time
beginsagainandinsuchaway,indeed,astoshowseveralsensesof'beginning.'Andsothislastlecturewillbeginatthis
beginningandattempttoarriveatsomeunderstandingofthesenseofrepetition(Wiedenholung)thatisatworkhere.
Overview:
(I)Adiscussionofmethod
(II)TemporalityastheontologicalmeaningofCare
(III)ArepetitionoftheDaseinAnalyticfromtheperspectiveofTime
Theproblemofhistoryandtheappropriate'placing'oftheproblemofBeing.
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Section63
(I)Method
InthissectionHeideggerreturnstotheproblemofmethodandexplicitlybringstheresultsoftheDaseinAnalyticinto
contactwiththemethodoftheDaseinanalyticsucha'dialectic'ofmethodanddiscovery,ofthatwhichsetsoutapathand
thatwhichisfounduponthepath,exemplifiesthepeculiarityofHeidegger's'methodwhich'listensinto'itsowndiscoveries
andtriestomaintainanattunementto'thethingsthemselves.'
Webegan,inthe2ndintroduction,todescribethehermeneuticalcharacterofphenomenology.Thecharacterof
phenomenologycanbeexpressedbythestructureoftheHermeneuticalCircle.
Thishermeneuticalcirclecanbeexpressedontwolevels:
(1)first,thattheverystructureoftheUnderstandinginvolvesaforestructurewhichconstantlyprojectsuponthatwhichis
found.Daseinisessentiallyinterpretive(onealwaysseesomething'as'something)
(2)baseduponthisisthewayDaseinmovesthroughoutitslife.
Iwanttodevelopmorecloselythislattersenseof'thecircle'.Heideggerstated,attheverybeginning,thatDaseinis
onticallyclosesttoitselfyetontologicallyfurthestaway.Themeaningofthismethodologicalstatementcannowbeseen
throughtheresultsoftheanalysisofCare.
(i)Putformally,thehermenueticalcircleisthe'relation'ofDasein'sontic,everydaylevel,andtheontologicallevelthat
groundsandmakespossibletheonticlevel.
GRAPH
(ii)Butwemustnote,asaresultoftheanalysis,thatDaseinmaintainsitselfinacertainkindtounderstanding,Dasein
comportsitselfthroughacertainkindofvagueintelligibility(Daseinknowshow...tolive).Heideggercallthis
understandingofwhatitmeanstobe"preontologicalunderstanding."
GRAPH
Inthissense,Daseinhasthecapabilityofdevelopingitspreontologicalunderstandingintoanontologicalunderstanding.It
hastheability,ifyouwill,tobecome'clearer'aboutitsexistencetogainanunderstandingoffundamentalstructuresof
itsBeing,inotherwords.
(iii)ButtheanalysistocarehasalsodisclosedaninherentprobleminDasein'sattempttodevelopanunderstandingofitself
thisinherentproblemislocatedinthestructuralmomentofFallingwhichexpressesDasein'stendencytointerpretitselfin
termsofthatwhichisnot.Thenatureoffallingisessentiallyakindofconcealingand,becauseofthis,anappropriate
understandingoftheBeingofDaseininvolvesakindof'wrestingfromconcealment'("Existentialanalysishasthecharacter
ofdoingviolence"311/359).This'wrestingfromconcealment'isonereasonfortheneedofahermeneuticalanalysiswhich
mustinterpretexperienceratherthanmerely'beholdit'.
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Furthermore,theverysenseofthehermeneuticalcirclearisesfromtheveryBeingofDaseinitself.Dasein'sBeing'is'
circularandsuchacirclemustbekeptinviewifoneistounderstandDasein.ThefullunderstandingoftheHermeneutical
Circleisthefollowing:Daseinmaintainsanunderstandingofitself(apreontologicalunderstanding),anunderstanding
which,proximatelyandforthemostpart,maintainsitselfineverydayness.
Now,thisunderstandinghasthepossibilityofinterpretingitselfandinsuchawayastouncoverthegroundsforthe
possibilityofeverydayexistence.(Themoodofanxiety,forinstance,breaksthroughconcealmentandallowsanauthentic
understanding).Thehermeneuticalanalysisispreciselythisselfdevelopingoftheunderstandingtowardstheexistential
structuresthatunderlietheeverydayonticexistenceofDasein.
Thefullexpressionofthehermeneuticalsituationwouldthenbesomethinglikethefollowing:
GRAPH
TheDaseinAnalyticbeganwithDasein'severydayBeingintheworldandinterpretedthisinsuchawayastouncoverthe
conditionsforthepossibilityofeverydayexistence:theconditionforthepossibilityofDasein'sonticcomportmentturned
outtobethestructureofCarewhichinturnexpressedforBeingofDasein.Ournexttaskwillbetoexhibittheunityofthe
Carestructureandthiswillbe,byanticipation,Temporality.
(II)TemporalityastheontologicalmeaningofCare.
(A)Meaning(Sinn)
WearetospeakaboutthemeaningoftheBeingofDaseinintermsofTemporality.Temporalitywillconstitutethe
'meaning'ofDasein.WhatismeantherebythisnotionofMeaning?WhatdoesHeidegger'mean'bymeaning?
ForHeidegger,themeaningofsomethingbecomesboundupwiththegroundforthepossibilityofsomethingandthis,in
turn,signifiesthatmeaningisboundupwiththeBeingofsomething(Beingisa'transcendental').Thus,tosaythatXhas
meaningistosaythatXhasbecomeaccessibleinitsBeing(324/371)WearetogainaccesstotheBeingofDasein(andthis
BeinghasbeenexhibitedasCare).Careitselfexhibitedthestructuralmomentsofexistentiality,facticityandfallenness.But
indescribingCareassuch,wehadnotfullyshownwhatmakesthesestructuralmomentsintoaunitywehadnotdisclosed
thatwhichmakespossibletheunitynecessaryforthestructuralwholeofCare.
ThisisthemajortaskofDivisionsII(whichbeginswithsection65)itistouncoverthatwhich'makespossible'theunity
oftheCarestructureand,assuch,themajortaskofDivisionIIistouncovertheontologicalmeaningoftheBeingof
Dasein.
(B)
(1)Heideggerbeginsbyunfoldingthetemporalstructuresofauthenticself(theanalysishere'stayswith'theauthentic
momentsoftheCarestructurewhileII4investigatesthe'temporalization'ofeverydayDasein).
(a)Whatmakesanticipatoryresolutenesspossible?
Thesenseof'anticipation'herecanbefoundintheGermanVorlaufen('torunahead').Vorlaufenisa'runningahead'
towardsDeathasapossibility.Deathisnotamere'notyet'forDaseininanticipationitisbroughtbeforeDaseinasits
ownmostpossibility:thisaspecthasthesenseofcomingtowardsitself(zukommen)Nowwhatmakesthiskindof
anticipationpossibleissimplythatDaseincan'cometowardsitself'inthismanner.Butthiscomingtoward(zukommen)is,
forHeidegger,theprimordialphenomenonofthefuture(Zukenff)...[ckAnticipationismakepossibleforthefuture.]
(b)Authentic'beingguilty'manifeststhenegativityofDasein'sthrownness.Aresolute'takingup'ofthis'beingguilty'
involvestakingoverone'sBeingasthrownie.,Daseindoesnotbringitselfintoits'there',butrather,Daseinhasalways
alreadybeassignedtoa'world'Daseinalwaysalreadyhasbeenatakingoverofthisthrownnesswouldmeantobeas
alwaysalreadyhavingbeen.
Thissenseofhavingbeen(Gewesenheit)isthesenseof'Past'itisexpresseddynamically(ie.,asreferencetothefuture)
as"Iamashavingbeen"(Ichbingewesen).The'Past'isconstantly'takenup'byDasein'sfuturalprojectsitisnevera
mere'nolonger'.
(c)Thepresentismadetocometopassinthesenseofa'makingpresent(Gegenwartegens).Itis'born'ofthedynamic
interplayoffutureandpast.Thusthepresent,inthisauthenticmode,arisesoutofothermoments.Itisneveranisolated,
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discreet"now".
(2)Inconsequenceofthis,thephenomenonoftheauthenticselfshowsitselfashavingtheunityofafuturewhichmakes
presentintheprocessofhavingbeen.
ThisunitywhichmakespossibletheauthenticselfofCareiscalledbyHeideggerTemporality(Zeitlichkeit).Assuch,
temporalityisthemeaning(ie.,thegroundfortheunityandpossibility)ofauthenticCare.TimeisthemeaningoftheBeing
ofDasein.AndthisisthefirstindicationofhowtheBeingofDaseinisgroundedinTime,ofhowBeingandTimeare
broughttogetherintheDaseinAnalytic.
(3)This'connectedness'betweenDaseinandTemporalitycanbefurtherseenbynotinghoweachmomentistheCare
structureresolvesitselfintoatemporalmoment:
Existentiality:'aheadofitself'futural(as'comingtowards')
Facticity:'beingalreadyin''past'(as'havingbeen')
Falling:'beingalongside'present(as'makingpresent)
Itisimportanttonotethatthisisnotamatterof'merecorrespondence,'forwehaveindicatedthatthetemporalstructure
makespossibletheunityoftheexistentialsitcandothisonlybecausetemporalityitselfisessentiallyaunity.
(4)FurthercommentsonTemporality
(a)Theessentialunityoftemporalityliesinitsecstaticalcharacter.Eachofthetemporalmomentshasthesenseof'standing
out'inacertaindirectioneachdirectionbeginan'ecstasis'ofTime.Andtheessenceoftemporalityconsistsinthe
temporalizingunityoftheecstases.Timeisdynamicand'selfblending'throughandthroughitsprimordialsenseisnotto
beconceivedofassomekindofcontainerinwhichthingsoccur'in'timewiththemovementofaseriesof'nows',eachone
ofwhichoccurringbetweena'notyet'anda'nolonger'thisisaderivativesenseoftimewhichmissestheecstaticalunity
ofafuturewhichmakespresentintheprocessofhavingbeen.
(b)Onemustnotefurther,however,thatwithintheecstaticalunityoftimethereliesapriorityofthefuture.
(5)ItisfromthisrevaluationoftheCarestructureintermsofTemporalitythatHeideggerbeginsa'repetition'oftheDasein
Analytic.ForiftemporalityhasindeedmanifesteditselfasthemeaningoftheBeingofDaseinthenitmustbeshownto
underlieDaseininbothitsauthenticandinauthenticmodesofexistenzandwiththistheverystructureofBeinginthe
world.
Itispreciselyforthisreasonthatthetextbegins'anew'.
ThisisthetaskofII
IIIArepetitionoftheDaseinAnalyticfromtheperspectiveofTime.
(A)Therepetitionhasthefollowingorder:
(1)Thetemporalityofdisclosednessingeneral
(a)TemporalityofUnderstanding
(b)TemporalityofBefindlichkeit
(c)TemporalityofFalling
(d)Temporalityofdiscourse
Theanalysisthengoesontoshowhowthesestructures(asthebasicstructureswhichconstitutetheBeingofthe'Da'of
Dasein)inturntemporalizeBeingintheworld.
(2)ThetemporalityofBeingintheworld
(a)circumspectiveconcern
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(b)themodificationofreadinesstohandintopresenceathand
(c)theworldhoodoftheworldandDasein'sspatiality
(d)Dasein'severydayness
(Note:itisfromthisfinalanalysisofDasein'severydaynessthatHeideggerdevelopstheproblemofHistoryII5andthe
everydayunderstandingoftimeII6).
TogainanappreciationoftheseanalysesIwanttolookbrieflyatHeidegger'sanalysisofthetemporalityofVerstehen
(section68a)
(B)TheTemporalityofVerstechen
Wemustnote,inanticipation,thatanytemporalmomentbecauseof(i)itsecstaticalstructureand(ii)itsgroundingof
Dasein'sExistenzandwiththisthemodesofauthenticityandinauthenticity,willspiraloutintoamultiplicityofstructures.
Letusseehowthisoccurs:
(1)Asaprojectionuponone'spotentialityofbeingtheunderstandingas'aheadofitself'hasbeenappropriately
characterizedasprimarilyfutural.Butwehaveseenthattheunderstandingcandevelopitselfindifferent'direction'(towards
thatwhichitis'not',towardthatwhichitis).
Accordingly,therewillbetwomodesofitsdevelopment:
(a)itsauthenticmodeisexpressedbyanticipationinwhichDasein'letsitselfcometowarditselfasisownmostpotentiality
forBeing.'
(b)'inauthentic'understanding,ontheotherhand,projectsitselfuponitsconcernsie.,itseverydaybusinessandthisis
expressedbyawaiting.Daseinrelatesitselfthroughpossibilitiesbutitdoessothroughthemeditationofthings(ofbeings
withintheworld).Daseincomestowardsitself(isfutural)butintermsofthethingsofits'concern'Dasein's'future'isthis
concernedwiththesethingsandwhethertheywill'comeabout'or'fallapart'.
Note:Thoughtheunderstandingisprimarilyfutural,thefutureisanecstasisofTimeandassuchitmusttemporalizeitself
inunitywiththeotherecstases.
Accordingly,thetemporalityofunderstandingwillinvolvethemomentsofpresenceandhavingbeen.
(2)The'Present'
(a)Totheanticipationwhichgoeswithresoluteness,therebelongsa'present'inwhichDasein'ssituation(itsexistential
doublenullity)isdisclosed.Heideggercallsthismomentofawarenesstheauthenticpresentwhichheterms,withreference
toKierkegaard,derAugenblick.
(b)Theinauthenticpresentisa'makingpresent'whichfindsitsexpressionintheturblanceofDasein'sFalling(the
expression"WhatshouldIdonow?"andthenafterthat"etc.givesthesenseofthis'present':itisDasein'sconstantlyleaping
after'new'possibilities)
(3)The'Past'
(a)Dasein'sauthentic'comingtowardsoneself'inanticipatoryresolutenessisatthesametimeacomingbacktoone's
ownmostself:itisa'takingover'ofwhatone'alreadyis',atakingholdofone'sselfagain.DaseincantakeoverthatBeing
whichitalreadyisand,whena'homecoming'hasoccurred,onecanspeakofacertainkindofrepetition(Wiederholen)
(b)TheinauthentichavingbeeninvolvesthemannerinwhichDaseincanloseitselfinitseverydayconcerns.Nowsucha
losingofoneselfcaninvolvethecharacterofacertainkindofforgetfulness(vergessenheit)
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NotethetermsthatwereusedwithreferencetoDasein'sunderstandingitselfinreferencetoits'Past'.Inanticipating,Dasein
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bringsitselfagainforthintoitsBeing.Sucha'bringingforthagain'Heideggercharacterizedbyrepetition.Inauthentic
havingbeenhasthepossibilityofconcealingone'sBeingthroughakindofforgetfulnessofBeing.
WiththiswehavearrivedatthestructuralmomentinDaseinitself(viz.,themodalityof'Past'intheunderstanding)which
allowsthespecifictaskofSeinandZeittotakeitsinitialpointofdeparture.Forthis'relation'betweenrepetitionand
forgetfulnesswasinfactthevery'play'whichprovokedtheverybeginningof"BeingandTime."Whathadoccurredtothe
questionofBeingwasthatithadfallenintoakindofforgetfulnessandwhatwasneededwasarepetitionofthequestion
ofBeing(section1).ThetreatisehasthuscircledbacktoadeeperunderstandingofitsownBeginning.
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Copyright:RobertCavalier
DepartmentofPhilosophy/CarnegieMellonUniversity

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