Destruktion

is a term referring to the way in which, to free ourselves from prejudice, we must carefully, tactfully, and with great finesse, disassemble the traditions we inherit.

destruction. Since humans do not view the world directly, but always through a tradition that they inherit (mainly the Greek philosophical tradition for Western peoples), we need to carefully disassemble that tradition in order to free ourselves from prejudice. This must indeed be done with great tact and finesse, even though Heidegger demands a “destruction of the history of ontology.” The famous “deconstruc- tion” of French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) is mod- eled on Heidegger’s concept of destruction.

is the idea that the history of ontology needs to be painstakingly destroyed; not smashed to rubble and ceased to be studied, but simply its inner structural skeleton is to be exposed.

The introduction to Being and Time raises another important theme: the need for a destruction of the history of ontology. The word deconstruction would probably work just as well, but Heidegger says Destruktion in German, and it is also best not to assume total agreement between Heidegger and his French deconstructionist admirers (Jacques Derrida above all). Dasein does not see the world directly, because Dasein has a historical structure, and generally interprets things in the same way that others interpret them. In the West, our usual clichéd or received interpretation of the world is dominated by the Greek tradition of philosophy. And even for the Greeks, but especially for their European heirs, being is always some kind of presence. This presence takes on numerous different forms at various times in the history of philosophy. The history of ontology needs to be painstakingly destroyed, as strange as that may sound. When we destroy it we do not smash it to rubble and cease to study it, but simply expose its inner structural skeleton.

is grounded in the idea that only by tracing the ways in which we take up phenomena back to their historical roots is it possible for phenomena to present themselves as what they are.

Only by tracing the ways in which we take up phenomena back to their historical roots is it possible for phenomena to present themselves as what they are (64: 75f).

destruktion, n.Definitions

destruktion