Heidegger and Aristotle: The Twofoldness of Being

227 Pages·2006·1.04 MB·English

by  Walter A. Brogan

Y
H
P
O WWaalltteerr AA.. BBrrooggaann
S
O
L
I
H
P

L
A
T
N
E
N
I
T
N
O
C

Y
R
A
R
O
P
M
E
T
N
O
C

N
I

S
E HHeeiiddeeggggeerr
I
R aanndd
E
S

Y
N
U AArriissttoottllee
S

E
H
T

N
I TThhee TTwwooffoollddnneessss ooff BBeeiinngg
E
M
U
L
O
V

A
Heidegger and Aristotle
SUNY series in Contemporary
Continental Philosophy
Dennis J. Schmidt, editor
Heidegger and
Aristotle
The Twofoldness of Being
Walter A. Brogan
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2005 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may
be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means
including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopy-
ing, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission
in writing of the publisher.
For information, address State University of New York Press,
194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210–2384
Production by Kelli Williams
Marketing by Michael Campochiaro
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brogan, Walter, 1945–
Heidegger and Aristotle: the twofoldness of being/Walter A. Brogan.
p. cm.—(SUNY series in contemporary continental philosophy)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-7914-6491-1 (hardcover: alk. paper)
1. Heidegger, Martin, 1899–1976. 2. Aristotle. 3. Ontology—History.
I. Title. II. Series.
b3279.h49b743 2005
193—dc22 2004024570
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my mother, Lillian Berry Brogan

contents
Acknowledgments ix
Preface xi
Chapter 1 Martin Heidegger’s Relationship to Aristotle 1
Heidegger’s Phenomenological Reading of Aristotle
What It Means to Read Aristotle as a Phenomenologist
The Lost Manuscript: An Introduction to Heidegger’s
Interpretation of Aristotle
Chapter 2 The Doubling of Phusis:Aristotle’s View of Nature 21
The Meaning of Phusis
Heidegger’s Ontological Interpretation of Movement
in Aristotle’s Philosophy
The Phenomenology of Seeing and the Recognition of
Movement as the Being of Beings
The Meaning of Cause in Natural Beings: Heidegger’s
Rejection of Agent Causality
Ontological Movement and the Constancy of Beings
Phusisas the Granting of Place: Change and the Place
of Beings
The Complex Relationship of Phusisand Techne¯
The Horizon for Understanding Phusis:The Meaning
of Ousia
Chapter 3 The Destructuring of the Tradition 57
Aristotle’s Confrontation with Antiphon
Elemental Being (Stoicheia): Aristotle’s Conception of
Ontological Difference
The Meaning of Eternal (Aidion)and Its Relation
to Limit (Peras)
The Necessity Belonging to Beings (Anangk¯e) and the
Possibility of Violence
The Law of Non-Contradiction
viii • contents
The Difference Between Being and Beings
The Method of Aristotle’s Thought
The Path of Aristotle’s Thought: The Twofoldness
of Phusis
Aristotle’s Hylomorphic Theory
The Way of Logosin the Discovery of Phusis
Genesisand Stere¯ sis:The Negation at the Heart
of Being
Chapter 4 The Force of Being 110
Aristotle’s Resolution of the Aporiaof Early
Greek Philosophy
The Rejection of the Categorial Sense of Being as the
Framework for Understanding of Being as Force
The Non-Categorial Meaning of Logosin Connection with
Being as Dunamis:Force in Relationship to Production
Aristotle’s Confrontation with the Megarians: The Way
of Being-Present of Force
The Connection Between Force and Perception:
The Capability of Disclosing Beings as Such
Chapter 5 Heidegger and Aristotle: An Ontology of
Human Dasein 138
Dasein and the Question of Practical Life
Sein und Zeit and the Ethics of Aristotle
Plato’s Dialectical Philosophy and Aristotle’s Recovery
of Nous:The Problem of Rhetoric and the Limits
of Logos
The Ontological Status of Dialectic
Plato’s Negative Account of Rhetoric in the Gorgias
Plato’s Positive Account of Rhetoric in the Phaedrus
The SophistCourse: Aristotle’s Recovery of Truth
after Plato
The 1925–1926 LogikCourse: Aristotle’s Twofold
Sense of Truth
Conclusion 188
Notes 191
Bibliography 203
Index 209
acknowledgments
Heidegger says that the cause of something is that which is responsible for
its coming into being. In this regard, I am indebted to many besides those
I will name here, whose gift to me cannot be repaid. I am especially grate-
ful for their patience and encouragement. Sandy Brown has allowed me to
see that there are no limitations to the possibilities of being and being to-
gether. My son Daniel first taught me to appreciate birth and nature in the
hills around Rielingshausen. He and my son Steven are a constant remin-
der of the wonder of life. My philosophical life began with the provoca-
tion of my brother Harold, and I owe to him not only a lifelong feast of
philosophical conversation, but an awareness of what it means to live life
fully and be a great human being. All of my brothers and sisters have been
incredibly supportive.
I am grateful to John Sallis for his formative intellectual inspiration and
guidance, but especially for what he has taught me about the connection
between philosophy and friendship. The graduate students I have taught
over the years at Villanova have been an indispensable resource for me. In
very specific ways, I am grateful to Elaine Brogan, James Risser, Jerry Sallis,
Dennis Schmidt, Peter Warnek, and my colleagues at Villanova for all they
have contributed to my work.