On Beginning and the Question of Being: Plays of Beginning at the End of Metaphysics
Open Access
Author:
Deere, Michael A
Graduate Program:
Philosophy
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
December 18, 2006
Committee Members:
Dennis Schmidt, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Charles Edward Scott, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Christopher P Long, Committee Member Jeffrey Nealon, Committee Member Vincent M Colapietro, Committee Member
Keywords:
Heidegger Phenomenology Metaphysics
Abstract:
My dissertation explores the role of phenomenological beginnings in Heidegger’s formulation of the question of being. I show (1) that the relation between beginning and being is already present in Heidegger’s early work, specifically Being and Time, (2) that this relationship leads Heidegger to conceive of being as a far more concrete, finite, and historical phenomenon than he has previously been credited with, and (3) that this renewed sense of concreteness forces a radical reinterpretation of the relation between being and beings. My central insight is that the formulation of the question of being in terms of beginning leads Heidegger to rethink this question in light of the indispensable and necessary role played by beings. By way of beginning, the turn to being and the turn to beings occur together as inseparable movements.
