Summary:
This paper explores the core of the problem of modernity in Heidegger's philosophy, especially the critique of metaphysics and the in-depth exploration of existence. Starting from the limitations of metaphysics, the crisis of modernity, the forgetting of human existence, and the forgetting of existence, the article delves into Heidegger's concept of "here and now", poetic thinking, and the proposal of "letting being", revealing the possibility of transcendence of modernity.
I. Introduction
In the philosophical arena of the 20th century, with the rapid development of science and technology and the acceleration of industrialization, human society has entered an era of unprecedented modernity (Modernität). During this period, marked by rationalism, the concept of progress and subjectivity, human conquest of nature and the control of technology seemed to have reached an unprecedented height, but at the same time, it also triggered a profound reflection on the nature of human beings, the crisis of the natural environment, cultural values and the meaning of existence.
The issue of modernity has thus become extremely urgent, not only about the construction of the material world of human beings, but also about the foundation of the spiritual world. In this context, Heidegger's thought, with its unique perspective and criticality, provides a profound philosophical examination and transcendence of the dilemma of modernity, highlighting its important position in contemporary philosophy and social criticism.
II. The Metaphysical Origins of Modernity Consciousness
A. Metaphysical definitions
Metaphysics, as the core field of philosophy, is concerned with the ultimate questions of the nature of existence, reality, knowledge, truth, and value. Since ancient Greek philosophy, metaphysics has been concerned with "To Be". In modern times, especially since Descartes, with the rise of the philosophy of subjectivity, metaphysics has gradually taken subjectivity as the center of epistemology, emphasizing the decisive role of rational subjects in the construction of knowledge. This not only marks the strengthening of rationalism, but also heralds the rise of the principle of subjectivity, laying a theoretical foundation for the formation of modernity consciousness.
B. The Formation of Modernity Consciousness
The consciousness of modernity matured within the framework of metaphysics, which was closely linked to the Enlightenment, emphasizing the universal applicability of rationalism, the scientific concept of progress, and the principle of subjectivity. Rationalism believes that reason provides human beings with a universal tool to grasp and transform the world, and this belief has contributed to the modern scientific revolution and the industrial revolution, and promoted technological progress.
At the same time, the principle of subjectivity establishes the subjective status of human beings and emphasizes individual freedom, rights and self-determination, which constitute the skeleton of the ideology of modernity. The combination of rationality and subjectivity makes the consciousness of modernity firmly believe that human beings have the ability to control nature, optimize society, and achieve progress through scientific reason.
C. Metaphysical Shaping of Modernity
The shaping of modernity consciousness by metaphysics is reflected in the comprehensive penetration of world outlook and values. First, metaphysical rationalism has tended modernity to look at the world in an objectified, quantitative, and analytical way, and to see the natural world as a repository of resources to be exploited, rather than as a place of harmonious coexistence. This has led to the separation of humans from nature, neglecting the ecological balance, and laying the groundwork for an environmental crisis.
Second, the principle of subjectivity promotes the rise of individualism, emphasizing individual freedom, achievement, and self-realization, which has stimulated social pluralism and the development of human rights, but has also exacerbated competition, consumerism, and the alienation of individuals and the loss of a sense of community. Furthermore, the metaphysical linear view of time-progress encourages a never-ending view of progress, ignoring the depth of tradition and history, leading to cultural discontinuity, intergenerational alienation, and "existential forgetting" in modernity.
To sum up, metaphysics not only provides a theoretical framework for the consciousness of modernity, but also profoundly shapes the cognitive mode and value orientation of modern people, influences the way of life of modernity, and provides a theoretical starting point for Heidegger's criticism of modernity.
III. Characteristics of modernity in the age of technology
A. The nature of technology
In The Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger reveals technology through the concept of "Gestell". He does not see technology simply as an external tool or means, but as a manifestation of the human way of being, that is, technology is not only the result of human activities, but also a specific way of existence, which reflects the way of human existence in the world.
The technological "car" not only changes things, but also shapes the way we understand the world and our relationship with the world, and it is an existential phenomenon that reveals the world. The essence of technology, and therefore the manifestation of human existentialism, reveals the relationship between man and the world, while at the same time hiding certain dimensions of existence.
B. The double-edged sword effect of technology
The progress of technology is undoubtedly a double-edged sword, on the one hand, it has brought unprecedented material prosperity and convenience, greatly improved the quality of life, medicine, transportation, communications, production efficiency innovation, have made the rapid development of human social economy, improve the quality of life. However, on the other side of this sword, the rapid advancement of technology has also caused the void of the spiritual world, people feel the barrenness of the soul while being satisfied with the material, and the rapid upgrading of technology makes people fall into the chase, it is difficult to stop, and the mental pressure increases.
In addition, the development of technology has also caused a huge impact on the natural environment, ecological imbalance, overexploitation of resources, environmental pollution, biodiversity reduction, technology "car" in promoting human conquest of nature at the same time, but also wear down nature, damage to the ecology, cause survival worries.
C. Human alienation and loss of the earth
Technological rationality, especially in modernity, which incorporates everything into calculation, efficiency, instrumentalization, and people cannot escape this law. Under the technological vehicle, human existence is reduced to a cycle of labor, consumer, work and consumption, and the essential "existence" of human beings (Dasein) is alienated into "ordinary people" (das man). People's personality, deep emotions, and spiritual needs are standardized and superficialized, and people become the products of "cars" under technical rationality, and the alienation of people from the essence of existence has lost the true self of human existence.
At the same time, the "earth" (Erde), as the source of human existence, has been exploited under technical rationality, and the earth is no longer a home of awe and symbiosis with us, but has become a resource bank and an object of conquest. The primitive connection between man and the earth, the harmony between man and nature, is destroyed by technology, the earthiness is lost, the primitive connection between man and nature is severed, and the primitiveness of man and the earth is eliminated by the rationality of technology. In modernity, Heidegger's thinking and the critique of technology are a warning of the dilemma of modernity.
IV. Heidegger's critique of modernity
A. Metaphysical limitations
Heidegger harshly criticized the limitations of metaphysics, arguing that it was overly concerned with the absolute status of reason, and reduced the problem of being itself to a foil to reason. He pointed out that this bias of metaphysics misleads the center of gravity of philosophy, making it ignore existence itself and its rich multidimensionality and depth, making existence an adjunct of reason. Heidegger's critique lies in the fact that metaphysics fails to understand the true nature of existence for human beings, ignores the existential aspect of human beings, and is limited to the pursuit of logic and knowledge, resulting in the simplification of human existence and the oblivion of existence.
B. The crisis of modernity
In Heidegger's vision, the crisis of modernity stems from the domination mode of technology. Technology has not only changed lives, but also shaped the way people and the world are understood, and it has become an existential manifestation. However, this kind of technology has made modern life deviate from the reality of existence, people in the car of technology, life is organized into efficiency, functionalization, rationalization, the essence of human existence in the depth of daily life is covered by the surface of technology, standardization, human existence is alienated by technology, resulting in the essence of human beings being forgotten. Heidegger pointed out that the crisis of modernity lies in the fact that the mode of life under the vehicle of technology has taken people away from reality, leading to the oblivion of human existence and the submergence of human essence in technology.
C. "Existential forgetting"
Heidegger proposed the concept of "forgetting being" to emphasize that modern people have lost their true experience of being in their daily lives. In the modernity of the technological car, the relationship between man and the world is reduced to using and being used, human existence is understood as instrumentalization, and human existence is rationalized. Human existence is no longer experience, reflection, perception, and existence, but is trivialized and mechanized by daily life. In such a mode of life, man no longer experiences existence, the essence of man, existence becomes oblivion, man loses the real experience of existence, and man's life becomes the oblivion of "existence".
Heidegger's critique lies in the fact that modernity leads to the fact that man no longer experiences being, that man loses his being, that existence is forgotten, that his existence becomes a technical reason and a tool, and that his life loses the experience of the essence of being. Heidegger's critique of modernity is a wake-up call for the forgetting of being, a call for people to lose the experience of being, a return to the essence of being, and a deep reflection on the crisis of modernity.
V. Heidegger's Thoughts on Being and the Way to Transcendence
A. Analysis of Dasein
Heidegger's central concept, Dasein, refers to being in the world, emphasizing that human existence is not just a physical or mental state, but a way of being in the world. Through the concept of "here and now", Heidegger pointed out that human existence is the key to self-understanding lies in the relationship between the world, that human existence is co-existing with the world, and that human understanding, action, perception, and decision all occur in the world. Therefore, the concept of "here-and-being" occupies a core in Heidegger's philosophy, which emphasizes that the relationship between man's mode of being and self-understanding, that is, in the world, is the basis of man's ontology, is the core of understanding man's existence, and is the core of the relationship between being and the world.
B. The turn of poetic thinking
Faced with the limitations of metaphysics, Heidegger advocated poetic thinking as a transcendent approach. Poetic thinking emphasizes art, poetry, and its role in revealing the truth of existence is not through logical analysis, but through intuition, experience, perception, and intuitive perception. Poetic thinking does not seek certainty, but the revelation of existence, which reveals existence in art, works of art, poetry, and truth. Poetic thinking is beyond metaphysics, because it does not reduce existence to an object, but reveals existence, it reveals existence with poetry and art, it reveals truth in the world, this is the transcendence of poetic thinking, art is revealing existence, beyond metaphysical poetic thinking.
C. Openness and future of existence
Heidegger's "Gelassenheit" is an ontological openness that points to the future and is a philosophical practice that transcends the predicament of modernity and establishes harmony between man and the world. "Let Exist" emphasizes the openness of existence, not sticking to the old, but letting existence and let existence happen, it is a way of existence, it is to let existence, it is openness, it is the openness of the relationship between people and the world, and it is the future.
"Let exist" is a transcendence of the dilemma of modernity, it does not stick to it, but allows it to exist, it is open, it allows people to be in harmony with the world, it is based on existence. "Let there exist" is a philosophical practice, a way of being, a man and the world, openness, a future, a transcendence of modernity, and harmony. Heidegger's "Let Being" is the openness of ontology, transcendence, the future, the practice of harmony between man and the world, the transcendence of modernity, and the future of poetic thinking.
VI. Conclusion
At the heart of Heidegger's critique of modernity is the revelation of the limitations of metaphysics, as well as the forgetting of the nature of being. He criticized metaphysics for ignoring the fundamental problems of existence, relegating them to the subordinate of reason, and forgetting to ignore the existential dimension of man. Heidegger emphasizes the crisis of modernity, the mode of life under the domination of technology makes the essence of human existence forgotten, existence becomes a rational tool, the primitive connection between man and nature is broken, and the essence of human existence is alienated. Heidegger's critique is essentially an exploration of the depth of being, emphasizing the transcendence of metaphysics, the restoration of being, the true self of man, and the relationship between the mode of being and the world.
Author: Lu Xilin
Bibliography:
Being and Time
Poetry, Language, Art, Thought, and Tao
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