Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 08:37:51 +0100
Subject: Re: Dasein, universals, particulars


In message <004201bda663$19be0aa0$16dc0d81-AT-capurro-1>,
Prof. Dr. Rafael Capurro <capurro-AT-hbi-stuttgart.de> writes
>On Dasein as an exclusively human structure or not:
>see, again, GA 20 (Prolegomena zur Geschichte des Zeitbegriffs), p. 223-224:
>on the snail and the glas of water
>and:
> GA 29/30 (Die Grundbegriffe der Metaphysik) on the connections between
>Dasein and other living beings or between _Weltbildung_ and _Weltarmut_
>(casting world and having a poor(er)world_), there is the astonishing
>sentence (on page 371):
>_was nicht heisst, dass das Leben (des Tiers, RC) gegenueber dem 
>menchlichen
>Dasein minderwertig oder eine niedere Stufe sei. Vielmehr ist das Leben ein
>Bereich, der einen Reichtum des Offenseins hat, wie sie ihn vielleicht die
>menschliche Welt gar nicht kennt".
>roughly (in Pitching English) (until Michael can help)
>_ this does not mean that life (of animals, RC) in contrast to human Dasein
>is of less worth or on a deeper step. On the contrary, life is a region,
>that entails an own kind of wealth (or richness) that the human world may be
>does not know about."
That suggests that there are aspects of the region that we do NOT
encounter in our daily affairs. That probably varies with culture. I find
that the Western European American (to use Spenglar's term) somehow
conceals such aspects much more so than, eg, in Japan.

Where H talks about Mine-ness and Who (Sec.25-27:SuZ), he
mentions our encounter with others in our dealings with Zuhandensein
through das Worumwillen.

What I find missing in H's discussion here, is the possibility that the
Worumwillen of an entity with the kind of Being of Zuhandensein IS
encountering others or something like "encountering life." The having of
such entities in a culture depends on a "knowing of" Life's richness.

It is very clear in the case of objects bequeathed from loved-ones who
have died. For the Japanese, the loved one, though dead,  is
"encountered" in such objects; one aspect of the Worumwillen of such
entities is "to be with the other." Also, "offerings" by fishermen to the sea
involve "encountering" sea life and giving thanks to it. And I personally
know of a case in which, an older man came to apologize to a beautiful
tree because it was soon to be cut down for some reason. It was not
cut down.

Typically, "the West" only sees some kind of animism or polytheism or
superstition in such everyday dealings of Japanese people with entities.
But that 'seeing' does not know "the recognition of a richness of life"
involved in such dealings. Japanese culture "goes" differently -- it is
much richer -- in Zuhandensein. It is changing nowadays, especially
among the young, as they suffer under the pressures of society, but it is
still prevalent.
Kind Regards,
jim


     --- from list heidegger-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---