Being-in-the-World as Difference
Heidegger and Deleuze
AI Philosophy:
Do a deep dive of Being-in-the-World as Difference (Heidegger & Deleuze) Heidegger's concept of being-in-the-world as expanded through Deleuze's emphasis on difference. Focus of the philosophy of Syncretic Ontodynamics.
Answer:
Certainly, let's delve deeper into how Syncretic Ontodynamics integrates Heidegger's Being-in-the-World with Deleuze's philosophy of difference:
Heidegger's Being-in-the-World (In-der-Welt-sein):
Dasein's Embeddedness: Heidegger's Dasein is fundamentally embedded in the world. It does not exist independently of its environment (Umwelt) or social context (Mitwelt). This embeddedness suggests that existence isn't about observing the world from outside but being actively involved in it.
Ontological Difference: Heidegger introduces the difference between Being (Sein) and beings (Seiendes). This distinction is crucial as it points to the fact that while we can understand entities, the Being of these entities remains elusive, always in the process of revealing itself through beings.
Project and Possibility: Dasein's existence is projective; it's thrown into a world but also projects itself towards its possibilities. This forward-thrusting nature of Dasein means it's always ahead of itself, engaging with what it can be.
Deleuze's Philosophy of Difference:
Difference over Identity: Deleuze criticizes the traditional philosophy's focus on identity and essence, advocating for a philosophy where difference is primary. Everything exists as a degree of difference, and identity is produced through differences rather than being a starting point.
Becoming and the Virtual: Deleuze introduces the concepts of the virtual and the actual. The virtual is real but not actual, comprising all potentialities that can be actualized. Life is a process of actualizing these virtualities, thus becoming different, not towards some final form but as an endless process.
Repetition: For Deleuze, repetition is not the reiteration of the same but the return of difference. Every repetition introduces something new, reflecting the world's constant state of flux.
Syncretic Ontodynamics: A Synthesis:
Dynamic Thrownness: In Syncretic Ontodynamics, Dasein's thrownness isn't just an initial condition but an ongoing state of being thrown into new differences. Each moment in the world presents a new possibility for differentiation. Here, thrownness becomes dynamic, as each decision, interaction, and moment in time propels Dasein into further states of difference.
Identity as Differentiation: Rather than seeking an essence or a core identity, identity in Syncretic Ontodynamics is understood as an ever-evolving constellation of differences. Each interaction, each choice made by Dasein, differentiates it further from its past states and from others, reflecting Deleuze's notion that identity is an effect, not a cause, of difference.
Project of Becoming: The existential project in Heidegger's philosophy becomes in Syncretic Ontodynamics a project of perpetual becoming through differentiation. This aligns with Deleuze's idea where life isn't about reaching a predefined state but about engaging with the infinite possibilities of becoming different.
Existential Difference: The ontological difference gets reimagined where Being itself is understood as difference. Being doesn't just manifest through beings but is in a constant state of differing from itself, reflecting the Deleuzian multiplicity where Being is univocal but expressed in infinite variations.
Temporal Differentiation: Time in this context isn't just linear progression but a field of differentiation. Each moment is not merely a point on a timeline but a unique configuration of differences, where the past and future are not fixed but in a state of becoming through the present's differentiation.
Ethics of Difference: Ethically, this perspective encourages an embrace of multiplicity and change. Rather than seeking to reduce everything to sameness or essence, there's an ethical impetus to foster and celebrate difference, seeing in each unique unfolding of Dasein a new expression of Being.
In this synthesis, Syncretic Ontodynamics proposes a worldview where each individual's existence is an adventure in differentiation. Life is not about finding oneself in a static sense but about endlessly creating oneself through encounters with the world, thus making every being-in-the-world a unique trajectory of differences unfolding in time. This approach not only enriches our understanding of identity and existence but also invites a continual engagement with the world as a place of infinite creative potential.
Deleuze:
The subject of the eternal return is not the same but the different, not the similar but the dissimilar...
Heidegger:
Dasein always understands itself in terms of its existence—in terms of a possibility of itself: to be itself or not itself.
