Heidegger in the Kitchen

Summary

Martin Heidegger, a renowned German philosopher, emphasizes the concept of 'Das Nichts' or 'The Nothing,' highlighting our mortality and the fragility of existence. Heidegger's philosophy encourages us to confront the temporary nature of life, fostering an authentic existence by acknowledging our connection with all living beings against the backdrop of nothingness. He suggests that engaging with the idea of death, such as spending time in graveyards, can lead to a deeper appreciation of life and promote an 'authentic' way of living.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Martin Heidegger is renowned for his philosophical explorations, particularly his focus on the concept of 'Being' and 'Nothingness'.
• 📚 His seminal work, 'Being and Time', published in 1927, is central to understanding his philosophical stance on existence and mortality.
• ⏳ Heidegger emphasizes the temporary and fragile nature of existence, or 'Being' ('Das Sein' in German), and our tendency to ignore the omnipresence of death.
• 🌌 He introduces 'The Nothing' ('Das Nichts') to describe the inexistence that surrounds us, which we often deny or avoid.
• 🌱 Heidegger encourages us to appreciate the fleeting nature of life and to live more authentically by acknowledging our mortality.
• 🔍 The philosopher suggests that moments of insight can reveal our smallness and the vastness of the indifferent cosmos, which he terms 'The Mystery of Existence'.
• 🌐 Heidegger believes that recognizing our shared fragility with all living beings can foster a sense of unity and kinship with nature.
• 🗣️ 'Das Gerede', or idle chatter, is identified as a societal mechanism that distracts us from confronting the reality of our existence.
• 🤔 The task of philosophy, according to Heidegger, is to break through the distractions of 'Das Gerede' and confront the reality of 'Das Nichts'.
• 💀 Heidegger suggests that spending time in graveyards can be a way to reconnect with our mortality and achieve a more authentic existence.

Q & A

Who is Martin Heidegger and why is he significant?

Martin Heidegger is a renowned German philosopher born in 1889, famous for his work 'Being and Time' published in 1927. He is significant for his existential philosophy that explores the nature of existence and the concept of 'Being'.

What does Heidegger refer to as 'The Nothing'?

Heidegger uses 'The Nothing' or 'Das Nichts' in German to describe the inexistence, the opposite of life, which surrounds us but is often denied or hidden from our consciousness.

How does Heidegger define 'Being'?

Heidegger defines 'Being' as 'Das Sein' in German, which refers to existence that is finite, fragile, and temporary, a concept he believes we often fail to appreciate.

What is the 'Mystery of Existence' according to Heidegger?

The 'Mystery of Existence' is a feeling Heidegger suggests we can experience when we acknowledge our smallness and temporariness in the vast cosmos, which can be beautiful, intense, or terrifying.

How does Heidegger view our relationship with other living beings?

Heidegger believes that recognizing our shared fragile state of existence with all living beings can lead to a sense of kinship and unity with them and the earth itself.

What does Heidegger mean by 'Das Gerede'?

'Das Gerede' refers to the endless chatter or trivial talk that Heidegger sees as a societal mechanism that distracts us from confronting the reality of our existence and the concept of 'Being'.

What is the role of philosophy according to Heidegger?

Philosophy, for Heidegger, is about liberating us from the distractions of 'Das Gerede' and introducing us to the concept of 'Nothingness' to appreciate the intensity of existence.

What does Heidegger mean by an 'authentic' life?

An 'authentic' life, or 'Eigentlichkeit' in German, is one lived with a conscious awareness of death and the fragility of existence, as opposed to an 'inauthentic' life that is distracted by the trivialities of daily life.

How does Heidegger suggest we recover our authenticity?

Heidegger suggests that spending more time in graveyards can help us recover our authenticity by confronting our mortality and the temporary nature of existence.

What is the significance of the idea that all living things are temporary?

The idea that all living things are temporary serves to remind us of our shared vulnerability and the need to connect with and appreciate the world and its creatures more deeply.

How does Heidegger's philosophy encourage us to view our daily lives?

Heidegger's philosophy encourages us to view our daily lives as a constant struggle between the distractions of 'Das Gerede' and the pursuit of 'Eigentlichkeit' through an awareness of 'Das Nichts'.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 Introduction to Martin Heidegger's Philosophy

Martin Heidegger, a renowned German philosopher, is celebrated for his influential work 'Being and Time' published in 1927. His philosophy centers on the concept of 'The Nothing' or 'Das Nichts' in German, which represents the inexistence and the opposite of life. Heidegger encourages us to confront our mortality and the temporary nature of existence, often overlooked in our daily lives. He uses the term 'Being' or 'Das Sein' to describe life, emphasizing its fragility and finiteness. Heidegger's work aims to make us more aware of our fleeting existence and the vast, seemingly uninhabited universe we inhabit. He suggests that moments of profound insight can lead to an understanding of 'The Mystery of Existence,' which can evoke a range of emotions from beauty and intensity to terror. Heidegger believes that living authentically involves acknowledging our impermanence against 'The Nothing' and recognizing our kinship with all living things, fostering a sense of unity with nature and the Earth.

Keywords

💡Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher born in 1889, renowned for his work 'Being and Time' published in 1927. Heidegger's philosophy is central to the video's theme, as it explores the concept of existence and our relationship with the world and death. His ideas are used to encourage a deeper understanding of our temporary existence and the impermanence of life.

💡The Nothing (Das Nichts)

The Nothing, or 'Das Nichts' in German, refers to the concept of inexistence and is a central theme in Heidegger's philosophy as presented in the video. It represents the absence of life and the idea that we live surrounded by death, which we often deny or avoid. The video uses this concept to provoke thought about our fragile existence.

💡Being (Das Sein)

Being, or 'Das Sein' in German, is a fundamental concept in Heidegger's philosophy. It refers to existence and is used in the video to discuss the finite, fragile, and temporary nature of life. The video emphasizes that we rarely appreciate the temporariness of our existence, which is a key point in Heidegger's work.

💡Authenticity (Eigentlichkeit)

Authenticity, or 'Eigentlichkeit' in German, is a concept used by Heidegger to describe a state of being true to one's own existence and acknowledging the impermanence of life. The video suggests that living authentically involves being aware of our mortality and the 'Nothingness' that surrounds us, which contrasts with the inauthentic living characterized by denial and distraction.

💡Inauthenticity (Uneigentlichkeit)

Inauthenticity, or 'Uneigentlichkeit' in German, is the opposite of authenticity. It represents a state of being disconnected from the true nature of our existence, often due to societal pressures or distractions. The video uses this term to critique the tendency to avoid confronting the reality of our mortality and the 'Nothing'.

💡The Mystery of Existence

The Mystery of Existence is a term used in the video to describe the profound and sometimes overwhelming realization of our smallness and temporariness in the vast cosmos. It is a feeling that can be induced by moments of insight and is closely tied to Heidegger's concept of Being and the awareness of 'Das Nichts'.

💡Chatter (Das Gerede)

Chatter, or 'Das Gerede' in German, refers to the trivial and often meaningless conversations or societal noise that Heidegger believed distracts us from a deeper engagement with our existence. The video uses the metaphor of 'chatter' as a pancake-like layer that smothers our connection with Being, preventing us from recognizing the fragility of life.

💡Precariousness

Precariousness is the state of being fragile and at risk, which is a key theme in the video. It is used to describe our existence against the backdrop of 'The Nothing' and is a call to live more consciously and authentically by acknowledging the fragility of life.

💡Interconnections

Interconnections refer to the relationships and shared experiences that bind all living things together. The video encourages viewers to recognize these connections, as a way to feel a sense of unity with all life and to counter the separation often imposed by our daily lives and societal structures.

💡Graveyards

Graveyards are mentioned in the video as a place where one might recover their authenticity by confronting mortality directly. Heidegger suggests spending more time in graveyards as a way to remind ourselves of our impermanence and to encourage a more authentic way of living.

Highlights

Martin Heidegger is a renowned philosopher, famous for his work 'Being and Time' published in 1927.

Heidegger's philosophy emphasizes the concept of 'The Nothing' (Das Nichts), representing inexistence and the opposite of life.

Heidegger suggests we live in denial of our closeness to death, which he terms 'The Nothing'.

Life, or 'Being' (Das Sein), is described as finite, fragile, and temporary, yet often not appreciated as such.

Heidegger's philosophy aims to make us aware of the fragility of our existence on a fragile planet.

Moments of insight can lead to the realization of our smallness and temporariness in the cosmos, which Heidegger calls 'The Mystery of Existence'.

The Mystery of Existence can evoke a range of emotions from beauty to terror.

Living wisely involves acknowledging our precarious existence against 'The Nothing'.

All living beings share the temporary state of existence, which can foster a sense of kinship with all life and the earth.

Heidegger encourages recognizing the interconnections with all living things, from quail to dinosaurs.

Heidegger warns against the 'chatter' (Das Gerede) of daily life that distracts us from confronting our Being.

Philosophy's task is to free us from the distractions of 'chatter' and introduce us to the concept of 'Nothingness'.

Heidegger advocates for living authentically by being aware of death and existence.

Authentic living is contrasted with inauthentic living, represented by different examples, such as shrimp and jelly babies.

To truly appreciate 'Being', we must become more conscious of 'Nothingness' and strive for 'Authenticity'.

Heidegger suggests spending more time in graveyards as a way to recover our authenticity.

Transcripts

Martin Heidegger is one of the world's most famous and important philosophers.

Born in Germany in 1889, he grew to worldwide fame with the publication of his great work

Being and Time in 1927.

Central to Heidegger's thought is his desire to wake us up to the idea that we are surrounded by death.

He didn’t use that word though, he preferred the grander term: The Nothing.

In German - Das Nichts. This is inexistence: the opposite of life.

We live surrounded by it but deny its scary presence through elaborate means, by hiding

from the truth that we are so close to death all the time.

Heidegger called life, Being - “Das Sein”

Existence or Being is finite, fragile and very temporary...

But we rarely appreciate how temporary existence is.

Much of Heidegger’s philosophy is devoted to trying to wake us up to the fragility of

our lives and the strangeness of existing on this delicate, exhaustible planet spinning

in an otherwise seemingly silent, alien and entirely uninhabited universe.

At certain moments of insight, and Heidegger wants us to have lots of these, we may think:

I am so small, so temporary, I am a nothing in a cosmos of lifeless otherness.

It's at moments like this that we feel what Heidegger called The Mystery of Existence.

It can be beautiful. It can be intense. Most of all, it can be terrifying.

We live wisely and philosophically by always acknowledging our precariousness against

The Nothing.

It isn't just us who are so temporary. It is all living beings, all living things - the

animals, the trees, the clouds... They too exist briefly against the background of Nothingness.

Once we are aware that we and all other living things share this fragile state, we might

learn to identify more with them: to recognise our kinship with all living things and with

the earth itself. They are like us, briefly alive against the backdrop of nothingness.

The feeling of the unity of all things might come to you when, for example, you see how

much connects us with:

the quail

the shrimp

the snail

the lamb

the pig

the dinosaur

Normally we separate ourselves from these others but Heidegger urges us to see the interconnections.

However, Heidegger is very aware of the way in which we hide from a confrontation with Being

escaping into the warm folds of daily life, of society and of what he termed its

endless 'chatter', “Das Gerede”.

We can imagine Das Gerede as an enormous pancake like dough layer that smothers connection with Being.

Chatter is everywhere, it comes in via the airwaves, the media, our social circle

and it seeks to reassure us that trivia actually matters, that our jobs count, that what we

are doing and thinking has importance.

It hides us from the nature of Being in a world of death.

So the task of philosophy is to remove us from the doughy comfort of Chatter and introduce

us systematically to the bracing concept of Nothingness.

Heidegger wants to free us from the pull of chatter - so as to focus on the intensity

of existence.

Someone who lives with an awareness of death, Heidegger calls 'authentic.'

This, for example, is an authentic shrimp. “Eigentlichkeit”.

This is an inauthentic one - “Uneigentlichkeit”

This is an authentic jelly baby.

This is an inauthentic jelly baby.

We know in our hearts that the only way we can truly appreciate 'das Sein' is to become

more conscious of 'das Nichts' day-to-day, and that we owe it to ourselves to escape

the clutches of 'das Gerede' for the sake of 'Eigentlichkeit'.

When asked in a lecture in 1961 how we might recover our authenticity, Heidegger replied

tersely that we should simply aim to spend more time ‘in graveyards’.