Poetics of Resistance
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What about Michael Roth's "The Poetics of Resistance: Heidegger's Line?"
Answer:
Michael Roth's "The Poetics of Resistance: Heidegger's Line" is a significant work that explores the political implications of Martin Heidegger's philosophy, particularly through a Derridean lens. Here are some key points about the book:
Philosophical Engagement: The book provides a detailed treatment of how Heidegger's later concept of "poetic dwelling" can be both disruptive to the smooth functioning of technology and foundational in creating community. Roth argues that engaging in this poetic dwelling involves "crossing the line," a metaphor for moving beyond traditional metaphysical and political boundaries.
Derrida vs. Heidegger: Roth navigates the tension between Derrida and Heidegger. He aligns with Derrida to argue that crossing Heidegger's line does not lead to irrationalism or National Socialism, while also siding with Heidegger against Derrida to assert that such a crossing can lead to successful resistance against oppressive structures.
Impact and Contribution: The work is grounded in classical German scholarship but extends its analysis into postmodernism, making a notable contribution to the discourse on political philosophy within the context of postmodern thought. It seeks to salvage or "recuperate" a form of political philosophy from the often politically skeptical or nihilistic tendencies of postmodernism.
Critical Reception: The book has been described as well-informed and carefully written, offering insights into how Heidegger's philosophy can be politically relevant without endorsing its controversial aspects like his association with National Socialism. Reviewers have praised its nuanced approach to understanding resistance and community in Heidegger's later work.
Publication Details: "The Poetics of Resistance: Heidegger's Line" was published by Northwestern University Press as part of their "Studies in Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy" series, further highlighting its academic and philosophical rigor.
Heidegger's concept of dwelling
Martin Heidegger's concept of "dwelling" is central to his later philosophy, particularly as elaborated in his essay "Building Dwelling Thinking" (1951) and other works. Here's an overview of this concept:
Key Aspects of Heidegger's Concept of Dwelling:
Dasein and Being-in-the-World: Heidegger sees humans (Dasein) as fundamentally "being-in-the-world," where dwelling is an existential condition, not just a physical one. To dwell means to inhabit the world in a meaningful way that involves both building and thinking.
Fourfold (Geviert): Dwelling involves a relationship with what Heidegger calls the "fourfold" or "Geviert": earth, sky, divinities, and mortals. These elements are not merely physical but are part of the poetic essence of existence: Earth: The natural world that provides the ground and materials for dwelling. Sky: The celestial, including weather, seasons, and the daily cycle of day and night. Divinities: The realm of the sacred or the gods, not necessarily in a religious sense but as what calls humans to reflect on existence. Mortals: Human beings, whose mortality gives dwelling its temporal dimension.
Building as Dwelling: For Heidegger, "building" is not just the physical act of constructing structures but is fundamentally about creating spaces where dwelling can occur. Buildings are not just shelters but are places where human existence can unfold.
Spareness and Preservation: Dwelling involves a form of care or preservation. It's about sparing or safeguarding the fourfold, ensuring that technology and modern life do not overwhelm or erase the poetic character of existence.
Language and Poetry: Heidegger associates dwelling with poetry because both involve a way of "letting things be" in their truth. Language, especially poetic language, is seen as a way of dwelling because it opens up the world in a way that allows beings to appear as they are.
Critique of Modernity: Heidegger critiques modern technology and the way it enframes (Gestell) everything into a resource, which he believes alienates humans from true dwelling. He seeks a return to or a new understanding of dwelling that integrates technology without letting it dominate.
Political and Ethical Implications: Dwelling has political implications, suggesting a way of living that respects the earth, acknowledges mortality, and lives in a way that is mindful of both the divine and the natural. It's an ethical call to live in harmony with the fourfold.
Heidegger's notion of dwelling invites us to rethink our relationship with the environment, with technology, and with each other, advocating for a mode of existence that is thoughtful, caring, and fundamentally poetic. However, his philosophy, including this concept, has been subject to various interpretations and critiques, particularly in light of his political affiliations.
Heidegger's Gelassenheit
Gelassenheit is a concept introduced by Martin Heidegger in his later philosophical works, particularly in his essay "Gelassenheit" (1959) and in discussions around technology. The term translates from German as "releasement," "letting be," or "serenity," and it represents a profound shift in how one might relate to the world, especially in the context of modern technology and existential concerns.
Key Aspects of Gelassenheit:
Letting Be: Gelassenheit involves a mode of being where one does not forcefully control or dominate the world but instead allows things to be as they are. It's a form of passive activity where one steps back to let beings reveal themselves in their own truth, without imposing one's will or expectations.
Non-Willing: Heidegger contrasts Gelassenheit with the modern, Western emphasis on will, dominion, and control. Gelassenheit suggests a stance of openness and non-willing where one does not attempt to force outcomes or manipulate reality but rather accepts and engages with it as it comes.
Engagement with Technology: In the context of technology, Gelassenheit offers a way to engage with technological devices without being dominated by them. Instead of seeing technology as something to be mastered or as an end in itself, one uses it while maintaining an awareness of its essence and potential dangers (like Gestell or enframing).
Meditative Thinking vs. Calculative Thinking: Heidegger distinguishes between calculative thinking, which is goal-oriented, practical, and concerned with utility, and meditative thinking, which is reflective, open, and concerned with understanding being. Gelassenheit encourages this meditative approach, allowing for a deeper engagement with the essence of things.
Ethical and Existential Implications: Ethically, Gelassenheit suggests a respect for the otherness of beings, advocating for a way of living that does not reduce everything to human utility or control. Existentially, it offers a path to peace with one's own existence, acknowledging human finitude and the mystery of being.
Influence of Zen and Eastern Thought: Although Heidegger did not explicitly draw from Eastern philosophy, some scholars see parallels between Gelassenheit and concepts like wu wei in Taoism or aspects of Zen Buddhism, where action is taken without attachment to outcomes, and there's an emphasis on naturalness and spontaneity.
Practical Application:
Daily Life: Practically, Gelassenheit might mean engaging with the world in a way that is less aggressive or controlling, more open to surprises and less anxious about outcomes. It could involve spending time in nature, practicing mindfulness, or simply being more attentive to the present moment without the compulsion to categorize or exploit everything encountered.
Technology: When dealing with technology, one might use devices while being conscious of their potential to enframe life, ensuring they do not dictate the rhythm or quality of human existence.
Heidegger's Gelassenheit thus functions as both a critique of modern life and an alternative way of being that seeks to preserve human freedom and the richness of existence against the backdrop of technological dominance and the calculative mindset. It's a call for a more poetic and thoughtful way of living in the world.
Could you break down the main points of Michael Roth's "The Poetics of Resistance: Heidegger's Line?" And please cite some quotations.
Answer:
Michael Roth’s The Poetics of Resistance: Heidegger's Line examines the philosophical intersections of Martin Heidegger’s thought with art, poetry, and resistance, particularly as a response to modernity and technological enframing. Roth delves into Heidegger’s views on the transformative potential of poetry and art as modes of revealing truth and countering the dominant tendencies of the modern world. Below is a breakdown of the main points of the book:
1. Heidegger’s Concept of Resistance
Resistance in Heidegger’s thought is not an oppositional or combative act but an unveiling of alternative possibilities of existence.
Heidegger critiques the technological worldview (Gestell), which reduces the world to resources, fostering a mode of being that is closed off from deeper truths.
Roth interprets Heidegger’s idea of resistance as a philosophical and poetic stance, one that challenges the enframing logic of modernity by opening a clearing (Lichtung) for Being.
2. Language as the House of Being
Heidegger’s famous assertion that “language is the house of Being” is central to Roth’s exploration. For Heidegger, language is the medium through which truth is disclosed.
Poetry, as a heightened form of language, has the power to break through conventional thinking and allow truths to emerge.
Roth emphasizes that poetic language resists the commodification and instrumentalization of communication, instead fostering openness to mystery and meaning.
3. The Role of Art in Worlding
Art, in Heidegger’s view, creates a "world" by revealing relationships and meanings that would otherwise remain concealed.
Roth draws attention to Heidegger’s discussion of Van Gogh’s painting of shoes, which Heidegger uses to illustrate how art discloses the essence of things—in this case, the lived experience of the peasant.
Art resists by creating spaces where alternative modes of being can be experienced, countering the uniformity imposed by modern technology.
4. Poetry as Resistance
Poets play a unique role in Heidegger’s philosophy as creators of space for truth. Poets “name the holy,” allowing the sacred to reemerge in a disenchanted, modern world.
Roth highlights how poets like Hölderlin, Rilke, and Celan embody this resistance by uncovering hidden dimensions of existence, including the interplay of mortality, memory, and transcendence.
Poetry resists closure by remaining open-ended, inviting readers into a process of ongoing questioning and reflection.
5. Critique of Technological Modernity
Heidegger’s concept of Gestell (enframing) serves as the central critique of modernity in Roth’s analysis. Technological enframing limits human beings to a mode of existence where everything is treated as a resource.
Roth interprets resistance as the refusal to be completely subsumed by this technological logic, advocating instead for ways of thinking and being that prioritize openness and relationality.
6. Ambiguities in Heidegger’s Philosophy
Roth acknowledges the controversies surrounding Heidegger, including his affiliation with Nazism, and explores how these political entanglements complicate his philosophy of resistance.
Despite these ambiguities, Roth argues that Heidegger’s focus on poetry and art provides a valuable framework for thinking about resistance in ways that avoid domination and instrumentalization.
7. The Line as a Metaphor
The title’s reference to “Heidegger’s Line” reflects a metaphor for boundaries and thresholds—spaces where resistance takes form.
Roth interprets the “line” as both a limit and a crossing point, symbolizing the act of stepping beyond the constraints of modernity while remaining grounded in the world.
Summary
Michael Roth’s The Poetics of Resistance: Heidegger's Line presents Heidegger’s philosophy as a call to resist the dehumanizing forces of technological enframing through poetry and art. By opening spaces for Being to emerge, poets and artists enact a subtle yet profound form of resistance, one that reveals alternative ways of thinking, dwelling, and relating to the world.
