Heidegger's Destruction Of The Traditional Metaphysics

Ontology Investigation, which is written by Yu Xuanmeng, clearly indicates that traditional ontology, as a rigorous and compact system of categories, is the core in western philosophy, of which has been critical all the while by Heidegger. After Sein und Zeit, later Heidegger thoroughly commences critique of the philosophy featuring traditional metaphysics, with a further development as a historical task to destroy the traditional metaphysics. Then, what is the traditional ontology and metaphysics? Why does he destroy it and how does he overthrow it? My dissertation will solve these problems.Firstly, we will clarify what are the differences between Heidegger's ontology and traditional metaphysics.1. The tradition ontology is a categorical system, with "Being", the most universal concept as its core and all kinds of beings as categories which participate "Being". This kind of metaphysics is ontology, which is "the first philosophy" or "pure philosophy" in traditional western philosophy. It is firstly produced in Plato's Parmenides and Sophist and Hegel's Logik as its peak, in which categories are deduced by combinating each other between ideas universally and supersensibly. With Cosmology, Psychology and Theology being positived out of metaphysics, ontology actually substitutes for the traditional metaphysics or philosophy;2. Traditional metaphysics is the knowledge that pursuing the system of causation and principle ((?)pxη,ατiα.(?)ov). For example, that is the knowledge of "beings as beings, and the character out of its nature". It is also called "the first philosophy" in Aristotle's Metaphysics. Baumgartner is coincided with this who claims that "metaphysics is the science of the first principle including human-being knowledge";3. Philosophy is just about abstract cognition (knowledge) of the first principle and causation, in which a philosopher is to fathom this;It's clear that ontology is the most typical form of western philosophy, and metaphysics is wider than it and mostly they are the same thing.Secondly, why does Heidegger destroy traditional metaphysics thoroughly?1. Traditional western philosophy is the knowledge forgetting the "Being". It's well-known that "Being" is the most universal concept in traditional ontology, that is to say, it is still in an ontical state, so is Nothing (Nichts). Contrasting with the fundamental ontology, "Being" and "nothing"'as category is a possibility from a certain state of Dasein's existentiality. In fact, preferentially, human beings apprehend it first, and then the conception condition appears. Thinking outside of the sphere of the whole of the beings, i.e. entering into the nothing, it means transcendent, and it isn't subordinated to traditional metaphysics any longer;2. Being of human beings, i.e., the horizon of Dasein, is never mentioned in traditional western philosophy. Then "what's human being?" will be the hardest pursuit in philosophy. As for it, traditional metaphysics admits that there is absolute truth in the world, and everyone must obey it. But Heidegger claims that only Dasein "is", there is truth. In addition, Dasein is ontico-ontologically prior and therefore metaphysics could just be a possibility produced as a state from the existence of Dasein;3. In terms of Heidegger, modern western philosophy has forgotten its origin. Basically, he thinks that modern philosophy can't explain the complex relations between the Greek thought prior to Socrates and Greek philosophy from Plato. It proves that people rarely apprehend twofoldness in Aristotelian and Platonic thought till now;4. Traditional western metaphysics, we all know, always aims "the first principle", whose evolvement usually is known as technique. Undeniably technology provides the human being with convenient service, but at the same time, it leads more fatal disaster;5. Traditional philosophy, "the first principle" as its goals, surely pursues certainty and universality. Actually, Being itself is twofold which is explicit and at the same time implicit. The later character referring to the "indeterminacy principle" in quantum theory has beer proved by quantum theory of natural science. On the contrary, Kant urges that the supersensible universality plays a great role in integrating empirical material. Once man goes beyond its limits; it would produce a transcendental illusion. Therefore, Heidegger claims that the original time would be prorio to the objective one. On this horizon, we can say that science would have its limits, for example, it doesn't think of nothing. It is only a right way to reverse to Dasein or live in the world-fourfold according to the "Providence";6. The traditional metaphysics forgets its guiding problem (Vor-frage)((?) (?)□□v)(Was ist das Seiende?) which is hidden in Aristotle's Metaphysics as well as its leading problem (Leitfrage)(Sein als Sein)(Warum ist uberhaupt Seiendes und nicht viermehr Nichts?) which is firstly put forward by Leibniz. Neither understands its twofold character i.e.:firstly, each metaphysical question contains the whole of metaphysics; secondly, every metaphysical question in each case implicates the questioning Dasein in the question. That is to say, metaphysics comes from Dasein and returning to its inner structure is Dasein's transcendence. The coming of technological civilization is the discovering of metaphysics which is brought by Europe, and meanwhile that human beings are facing with the unprecedented plight of existence. So it's necessary for human beings to destroy the traditional metaphysics and live according to Providence(天道)instead of the recognition and the method of seeing the world so as to make the Providence unsuffocatted. As a Ge-stell style, techniques are the discovering of the Providence.Furthermore, Heidegger brings up the question of "Being" in his famous works again. Chronologically, his destruction the traditional metaphysics takes the following steps:1. The fundamental ontology destroys traditional ontology. Following the fundamental ontology is established by Heidegger, the problem of man himself becomes the theme rather than rocogntion or epistemology dominants in philosophy;2. Supplying the incomplete portion of Sein und Zeit with Zeit und Sein. Heidegger provides Kant's Kritik der reinen Vernunft a new idea, such as the connection between sein(ist) and time, transcendental imagination, ich denke and even an original horizon of Schema, etc. In a word, in pursuit of the possibility of metaphysics, Kant emphasizes the human being and enters into the domain of anthropology. Compared with other investigations to recognize Kant's works, such as epistemology, psychology or logic, Heidegger agrees with the direction of anthropology in great details;3. In view of the importance of truth, Heidegger thoroughly reveals it in ancient Greek thought during the1930s, especially it reduces from Plato and Aristotle who each has a two-fold character, which is different from that of in later western philosophy, i.e, an original horizon disappears and ideas and the categories become the standard since then;4. Having received the relation between Being and time and the horizon of Wahrheit as□ληθ(?)α(?), Heidegger increases destroying metaphysics from its original source. He discovers the proceedings from the ancient thoughts to the two-fold character which is hidden in Aristotle's Metaphysics and some of his other writings, such as Physik, Poety and Ethica Nicomachea (which is discussed a lot in Aristotle's Phenomenological Interpretation), especially he repeats emphasizing a coherence relation between Physik and Metaphysics from which tells us that□ληθ(?)α(?) has a double character which is the presencing and an absencing (Anwesung and Abwesung);5. Anwesung or Abwesung, as well asλογο(?) and□υ(?), being affected each other explicitly and implicitly, there is coherence between them. With this conclusion appears, the Providence takes over the early thought gradually, i.e., Ereignis which becomes the core phrase displaces the existentential-ontological analysis. On the one hand, the reverse rectifies the relation between Dasein and Sein, i.e, having emphasized Dasein, and on the other hand, it adapts the Providence (entsprechen zum Sein) while man thinks of Sein directly to dwell in the nearness of being eksistingly. The sentence which man lives near the truth of being (the Wahrheit of Seins) means language (Sprache) is the master of man or the human being is the shepherd of Being. In this original condition, the essence of metaphysics is exposed completely, i.e., metaphysics can't reach its foundation, the truth of Being. At this time, the method through being of beings can be overcome, and the method of "Being as Being" takes the place of "Being of beings", and then the task of destroying metaphysics is over.