Summary
In the essay "What Is Metaphysics?" Martin Heidegger addresses a fundamental question that challenges traditional philosophical thought: the nature and scope of metaphysics. This essay, first delivered as a lecture in 1929, is a key text in Heidegger’s philosophical oeuvre and provides a significant departure from conventional metaphysical inquiries. Heidegger's goal is to uncover the deeper meaning of metaphysics by exploring the concepts of Being, nothingness, and the nature of human existence.
Heidegger begins by questioning the purpose of metaphysics, which traditionally seeks to explain the nature of reality beyond the physical world. He critiques metaphysics for often focusing too narrowly on entities and their properties while neglecting the more fundamental question of Being itself. Heidegger asserts that metaphysics should not merely be concerned with what exists (entities) but with the question of why there is something rather than nothing. This shift in focus marks a radical departure from the dominant metaphysical traditions that prioritize substance and essence over existence and nothingness.
The Nothing and Angst
Central to this essay is Heidegger’s exploration of "the nothing" (das Nichts). Heidegger argues that nothingness is not simply the absence of something but a fundamental aspect of existence that reveals the true nature of Being. He provocatively asks, "Why are there beings at all, and why not rather nothing?" This question, he suggests, points to the inherent mystery and groundlessness of existence, a concept that has been largely ignored by traditional metaphysics.
Heidegger introduces the concept of "angst" (anxiety) as a key experience through which nothingness becomes apparent to human beings. Unlike fear, which has a specific object, anxiety is a state of being in which all particular entities lose their significance, revealing the sheer nothingness that underlies existence. This encounter with nothingness, according to Heidegger, is not something to be feared or avoided but embraced, as it opens up the possibility for a deeper understanding of Being.
In this state of anxiety, Heidegger argues, the everyday world of entities is stripped of its meaning, and what is left is the raw experience of Being. This experience, though unsettling, allows individuals to confront the fundamental question of existence in its most authentic form. Heidegger contends that it is through this confrontation with nothingness that metaphysics can fulfill its true purpose: to reveal the ground of Being.
Heidegger further critiques the tendency of traditional metaphysics to dismiss nothingness as a mere negation. Instead, he suggests that nothingness is an essential component of Being, as it reveals the limits of human understanding and the finite nature of existence. In this way, metaphysics becomes a more existential inquiry, focusing on the lived experience of individuals as they confront the mysteries of existence.
The essay concludes with Heidegger emphasizing the importance of this existential approach to metaphysics. By focusing on the question of nothingness, Heidegger opens up new possibilities for understanding the nature of Being and the role of human existence within it. He calls for a metaphysics that is more attuned to the existential realities of life, rather than one that remains confined to abstract, theoretical speculation.
See also: Time and Temporality in Heidegger’s Philosophy