Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher, best known for his work on ontology and the question of Being. He is widely regarded as one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century, and his ideas have had a profound impact on philosophy, as well as on a range of other fields, including theology, literary theory, and psychology. In this essay, we will examine Heidegger’s views on scientific and philosophical thinking and how they differ.
Heidegger believed that scientific thinking was rooted in the desire to control nature and to understand it through the application of rational thought. He saw science as a way of reducing nature to a set of calculable and predictable laws that could be used to predict and control natural phenomena. In this sense, he argued that scientific thinking was fundamentally calculative, in that it sought to measure and quantify the world around us.
Heidegger believed that this calculative way of thinking had profound implications for how we view the world and ourselves. He argued that it led to a reductionist view of nature and of human beings, in which everything was reduced to its most basic and measurable components. This, in turn, led to a sense of alienation from the world and from ourselves, as we became increasingly disconnected from the deeper, more meaningful aspects of life.
In contrast to scientific thinking, Heidegger saw philosophical thinking as a way of exploring the deeper, more fundamental questions of existence, such as the question of Being. He believed that philosophy was concerned with understanding the meaning and purpose of existence, rather than with controlling or manipulating it. In this sense, he argued that philosophical thinking was fundamentally meditative, in that it sought to open up new possibilities for understanding ourselves and the world around us.
Heidegger’s approach to philosophy was deeply influenced by his interest in phenomenology, a philosophical approach that seeks to describe the structures of experience without presupposing any theories or concepts. He believed that phenomenology could help us to uncover the underlying structures of our experience and to see the world in a new light. For Heidegger, the key to understanding the world was to become more aware of the way in which we experience it, rather than trying to reduce it to a set of quantifiable facts.
One of the key differences between scientific and philosophical thinking, according to Heidegger, is their approach to time. He argued that scientific thinking was concerned with understanding the world in terms of linear time, in which events are seen as unfolding in a predictable and measurable way. In contrast, philosophical thinking was concerned with the more fundamental question of time itself, and how we experience it.
Heidegger believed that time was not simply a linear progression of past, present, and future, but rather an experience that is intimately tied to our own existence. He argued that our understanding of time shapes our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and that by becoming more aware of the way in which we experience time, we can gain a deeper understanding of our existence.
Another key difference between scientific and philosophical thinking, according to Heidegger, is their approach to language. He argued that scientific thinking was limited by its reliance on language as a means of communication, which he saw as a tool for reducing the world to a set of quantifiable facts. In contrast, philosophical thinking was concerned with the deeper, more fundamental aspects of language, such as the way in which it shapes our understanding of the world and ourselves.
Heidegger believed that language was intimately tied to our understanding of Being, and that by exploring the deeper meanings of language, we could gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. He argued that language was not simply a tool for communication, but rather a way of revealing the deeper structures of existence.