Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, Tabriz National University, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Assistant professor- Philosophy group-Tabriz university
Abstract
Extended Abstract
The article explores how art, with its imaginary character, plays a pivotal role in Heidegger's later philosophy. Art is seen as a means to establish a world and reveal the Holy, thus fulfilling the destined task of a people. It is posited that art, in its imaginative essence, serves as a medium through which the Holy can manifest and the historical reality of a society can emerge. The article delves into Heidegger’s shift from his earlier focus on temporality in Being and Time to a later focus on art, arguing that imagination connects these two phases of his thought. This transition also emphasizes art's role in revealing the Holy in the poetry of Hölderlin.
In his seminal work, Being and Time, Heidegger investigates the structural components of Dasein, the being that is concerned with its own existence. His analysis leads to an in-depth exploration of time and temporality as the fundamental horizon for understanding Being. However, throughout this philosophical inquiry, Heidegger also hints at a more poetic understanding of Being, one that he does not fully explore in Being and Time. Heidegger gestures toward a mode of Being that is accessible not through rational analysis but through a poetic lens, a perspective often taken by poets, who see the world not just as a collection of entities ready-to-hand, but as an unfolding of deeper meanings. Heidegger later develops this poetic insight in his writings on art, where he positions art as a mode of revealing the truth of Being.
One of the key questions the article addresses is the relationship between Heidegger’s early preoccupation with time and his later focus on art. The transition is not a radical break, as some might suggest, but a natural development of his earlier thought. In Being and Time, Heidegger argues that temporality provides the framework for Dasein’s understanding of Being. In his later philosophy, Heidegger expands this notion, suggesting that imagination, the same faculty that allows Dasein to project itself into the future, also underlies artistic creation. Imagination gives form to the fluid, existential temporality that Dasein inhabits. Thus, Heidegger’s shift from time to art represents a deepening of his inquiry into the nature of Being.
Art, in Heidegger’s later thought, is not merely a form of aesthetic expression but a way of revealing the Holy dimension of Being. Artworks such as Hölderlin's poetry, which Heidegger extensively interprets, open up a space where the Holy can appear. Heidegger's interpretation of Hölderlin suggests that poetry has a unique ability to disclose the hidden dimension of the Holy, bringing it into the light without fully revealing its mystery. This is because, in Heidegger’s view, the Holy is inherently veiled—it withdraws even as it reveals itself. Art, with its imaginative and symbolic nature, is uniquely suited to this task of partial disclosure. Through art, the Holy manifests as a "clearing" where truth can emerge.
The article asserts that the imaginary nature of art is central to its ability to reveal Being. Imagination, in Heidegger’s philosophy, is not simply a subjective faculty of the mind but a fundamental feature of the existence of Dasein itself. It enables Dasein to navigate between different modes of being, from the practical engagement with the world (ready-to-hand) to the poetic or aesthetic encounter with the world. Art, as a product of imagination, opens up the possibility for new ways of relating to the world and to Being. The artwork, therefore, does not just represent the world but actively creates a new world, a new mode of Being.
Heidegger sees art as foundational to the establishment of a historical world for a people. This view is particularly evident in his essay The Origin of the Work of Art, where he argues that a great work of art brings forth a world, a coherent historical reality in which a people can dwell. For example, a Greek temple is not merely an aesthetic object but the focal point around which the historical world of the Greeks is structured. Similarly, Hölderlin's poetry serves to ground the historical identity of the German people by revealing their Holy mission. The work of art, in this sense, is not just a reflection of a pre-existing world; it is the very ground on which that world stands.
In the modern age, according to Heidegger, the Holy has largely withdrawn, leaving humanity in a state of spiritual homelessness. This condition is what Heidegger describes as the “flight of the gods,” a time when the Holy no longer appears in the public realm. However, art still holds the potential to reconnect humanity with the Holy. By revealing the hidden dimension of Being, art can offer a glimpse of the divine, even in an age when the gods seem absent. Art thus has the potential to redeem modern humanity from its spiritual malaise by reawakening a sense of the Holy and providing a new structure for the revelation of Being.
The article concludes by emphasizing the central role of art in Heidegger's later philosophy as a medium for the revelation of Being and the Holy. Art is not merely a cultural artifact but a way of engaging with the most fundamental questions of Being. Through its imaginative and symbolic nature, art opens up new possibilities for understanding the world and our place in it. In this sense, art serves as both a foundation for historical worlds and a means of reawakening the Holy in a secular age. The task of art, according to Heidegger, is to guard and preserve the truth of Being, ensuring that humanity remains open to the mystery of Being.
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