The Essence of Truth: On Plato's Parable of the Cave and the Theaetetus (Continuum Impacts)

"The Essence of Truth must count as one of Heidegger's most important works, for nowhere else does he give a comparably thorough explanation of what is arguably the most fundamental and abiding theme of his entire philosophy, namely the difference between truth as the "unhiddenness of beings" and truth as the "correctness of propositions". For Heidegger, it is by neglecting the former primordial concept of truth in favor of the latter derivative concept that Western philosophy, beginning already with Plato, took off on its "metaphysical" course towards the bankruptcy of the present day. This first ever translation into English consists of a lecture course delivered by Heidegger at the University of Freiburg in 1931-32. Part One of the course provides a detailed analysis of Plato's allegory of the cave in the Republic, while Part Two gives a detailed exegesis and interpretation of a central section of Plato's Theaetetus, and is essential for the full understanding of his later well-known essay Plato's Doctrine of Truth. As always with Heidegger's writings on the Greeks, the point of his interpretative method is to bring to light the original meaning of philosophical concepts, especially to free up these concepts to their intrinsic power." --Continuum Contents 6 Translator's Foreword 13 PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS 18 1 The Questionworthiness of Our 'Self-Evident' Preconceptions Concerning 'Essence' and Truth' 18 2 History of the Concept of Truth: Not Historical Confirmation of Preconceptions, But Return to the Originary Greek Experience of (Omitted) (Unhiddenness) 23 PART ONE: THE CLUE TO THE 'ESSENCE' OF 'AAHΘEIA: Interpretation of the Allegory of the Cave in Plato's Politeia 32 CHAPTER 1 The Four Stages of the Occurrence of Truth 34 A. The First Stage: the Situation of Man in the Underground Cave 35 B. The Second Stage: a 'Liberation' of Man within the Cave 40 C. The Third Stage: the Genuine Liberation of Man to the Primordial Light 46 D. The Fourth Stage: the Freed Prisoner's Return to the Cave 75 CHAPTER 2 The Idea of the Good and Unhiddenness 86 12 The Idea of the Good as the Highest Idea: Empowerment of Being and Unhiddenness 86 13 Seeing as (Omitted) and (Omitted). Seeing and the Seeable in the Yoke of the Light 90 14 The Good: Empowerment of That upon Which All Depends 94 15 The Question Concerning the Essence of Truth as the Question Concerning the History of Man's Essence and (Omitted) 98 CHAPTER 3 The Question Concerning the Essence of Untruth 102 16 The Waning of the Fundamental Experience of (Omitted). The Philosophical Obligation to Re-awaken It: the Abiding Origin of Our Existence 102 17 The Neglect of the Question Concerning the Essence of Hiddenness. Transformation of the Question Concerning the Essence of Truth into the Question Concerning the Essence of Untruth 106 18 Justification of the 'Detour'. Preliminary Clarification of Fundamental Concepts: (Omitted) (Omitted) and (Omitted) 112 19 Summary: Unhiddenness and Being; the Question Concerning the Essence of Untruth 121 PART TWO: AN INTERPRETATION OF PLATO'S THEAETETUS WITH RESPECT TO THE QUESTION OF THE ESSENCE OF UNTRUTH 124 CHAPTER 1 Preliminary Considerations 126 20 The Question Concerning the Essence of (Omitted): Man's Attack on the Self-evidences of His Self-understanding 126 21 Fundamental Content of the Greek Concept of Knowledge: Fusion of Know-how and Seeing Having-Present of That Which Is Present 131 CHAPTER 2 Beginning of the Discussion of Theaetetus' First Answer: (Omitted) Is (Omitted) Critical Demarcation of the Essence of Perception 135 22 (Omitted) as (Omitted) The Self-showing in Its Presencing 135 23 The Senses: Only Passage-way, Not Themselves What Perceives in Human Perception 138 24 The Soul as the Relationship that Unifies the Perceivable and Holds It Open 142 25 Colour and Sound: Both Perceived at Once in (Omitted) 147 CHAPTER 3 Stepwise Unfolding of Perceiving in All Its Connections 150 A. Step One: Perceiving of Beings as Such 150 B. Step Two: Inquiry into What Perceives the Excess in the Perceived 153 C. Step Three: The Soul's Relation to Being as Striving for Being 161 D. Step Four: Being-Human as Historical in Staking and Stance (Omitted) 184 CHAPTER 4 Towards a Discussion of Theaetetus' Second Answer: (Omitted) Is (Omitted). The Various Meanings of (Omitted) 193 36 The Emergence of the Second Answer out of the Question of Untruth 193 37 Double-Meaning of (Omitted) (View): Look and Opinion 197 38 Two More Faces of (Omitted): The Wavering between Letting-Appear (Omitted) and Distorting (Omitted) 201 CHAPTER 5 The Question Concerning the Possibility of the (Omitted) 204 A. Preparatory Investigation: Impossibility of the Phenomenon of the (Omitted) 204 B. Main Investigation: Saving the Phenomenon of the (Omitted) 220 APPENDIX: Supplementary Materials from Heidegger's Notes 247 Editor's Afterword 255 English-German Glossary 259 A 259 B 260 C 260 D 260 E 261 F 262 G 262 H 262 I 263 J 263 K 263 L 263 M 264 N 264 O 264 P 264 Q 265 R 265 S 265 T 266 U 267 V 267 W 267 Y 267 Greek-English Glossary 268 9780826477040 Continuum International Publishing Group Contents......Page 6 Translator's Foreword......Page 13 1 The Questionworthiness of Our 'Self-Evident' Preconceptions Concerning 'Essence' and Truth'......Page 18 2 History of the Concept of Truth: Not Historical Confirmation of Preconceptions, But Return to the Originary Greek Experience of (Omitted) (Unhiddenness)......Page 23 PART ONE: THE CLUE TO THE 'ESSENCE' OF 'AAHΘEIA: Interpretation of the Allegory of the Cave in Plato's Politeia......Page 32 CHAPTER 1 The Four Stages of the Occurrence of Truth......Page 34 A. The First Stage: the Situation of Man in the Underground Cave......Page 35 B. The Second Stage: a 'Liberation' of Man within the Cave......Page 40 C. The Third Stage: the Genuine Liberation of Man to the Primordial Light......Page 46 D. The Fourth Stage: the Freed Prisoner's Return to the Cave......Page 75 12 The Idea of the Good as the Highest Idea: Empowerment of Being and Unhiddenness......Page 86 13 Seeing as (Omitted) and (Omitted). Seeing and the Seeable in the Yoke of the Light......Page 90 14 The Good: Empowerment of That upon Which All Depends......Page 94 15 The Question Concerning the Essence of Truth as the Question Concerning the History of Man's Essence and (Omitted)......Page 98 16 The Waning of the Fundamental Experience of (Omitted). The Philosophical Obligation to Re-awaken It: the Abiding Origin of Our Existence......Page 102 17 The Neglect of the Question Concerning the Essence of Hiddenness. Transformation of the Question Concerning the Essence of Truth into the Question Concerning the Essence of Untruth......Page 106 18 Justification of the 'Detour'. Preliminary Clarification of Fundamental Concepts: (Omitted) (Omitted) and (Omitted)......Page 112 19 Summary: Unhiddenness and Being; the Question Concerning the Essence of Untruth......Page 121 PART TWO: AN INTERPRETATION OF PLATO'S THEAETETUS WITH RESPECT TO THE QUESTION OF THE ESSENCE OF UNTRUTH......Page 124 20 The Question Concerning the Essence of (Omitted): Man's Attack on the Self-evidences of His Self-understanding......Page 126 21 Fundamental Content of the Greek Concept of Knowledge: Fusion of Know-how and Seeing Having-Present of That Which Is Present......Page 131 22 (Omitted) as (Omitted) The Self-showing in Its Presencing......Page 135 23 The Senses: Only Passage-way, Not Themselves What Perceives in Human Perception......Page 138 24 The Soul as the Relationship that Unifies the Perceivable and Holds It Open......Page 142 25 Colour and Sound: Both Perceived at Once in (Omitted)......Page 147 A. Step One: Perceiving of Beings as Such......Page 150 B. Step Two: Inquiry into What Perceives the Excess in the Perceived......Page 153 C. Step Three: The Soul's Relation to Being as Striving for Being......Page 161 D. Step Four: Being-Human as Historical in Staking and Stance (Omitted)......Page 184 36 The Emergence of the Second Answer out of the Question of Untruth......Page 193 37 Double-Meaning of (Omitted) (View): Look and Opinion......Page 197 38 Two More Faces of (Omitted): The Wavering between Letting-Appear (Omitted) and Distorting (Omitted)......Page 201 A. Preparatory Investigation: Impossibility of the Phenomenon of the (Omitted)......Page 204 B. Main Investigation: Saving the Phenomenon of the (Omitted)......Page 220 APPENDIX: Supplementary Materials from Heidegger's Notes......Page 247 Editor's Afterword......Page 255 A......Page 259 D......Page 260 E......Page 261 H......Page 262 L......Page 263 P......Page 264 S......Page 265 T......Page 266 Y......Page 267 Greek-English Glossary......Page 268 The Questionworthiness Of Our 'self-evident' Preconceptions Concerning 'essence' And 'truth' -- History Of The Concept Of Truth: Not Historical Confirmation Of Preconceptions, But Return To The Originary Greek Experience Of [characters Not Reproducible] (unhiddenness) -- The Clue To The 'essence' Of '[characters Not Reproducible]: Interpretation Of The Allegory Of The Cave In Plato's Politeia -- The Four Stages Of The Occurrence Of Truth -- The First Stage: The Situation Of Man In The Underground Cave -- The Unhidden In The Cave: The Shadows -- The Second Stage: A 'liberation' Of Man Within The Cave -- New Features Of [characters Not Reproducible] Revealed By The Unsuccessful Attempt At Liberation -- The Third Stage: The Genuine Liberation Of Man To The Primordial Light -- The Ascent Of Man From The Cave Towards The Light Of The Sun -- Levels Of Unhiddenness Outside The Cave -- Four Questions Concerning The Visible Connections Of [characters Not Reproducible] In The Occurrence Of Liberation -- Idea And Light -- The Seeing Of What-being -- The Essence Of Brightness: Transparency -- The Fundamental Accomplishment Of The Idea: Letting-through The Being Of Beings -- Light And Freedom. Freedom As Bond To The Illuminating -- Freedom And Beings. The Illuminating View As Projection Of Being (exemplified By Nature, History, Art And Poetry) -- The Question Concerning The Essence Of Truth As Unhiddenness -- Gradations Of Unhiddenness. The Ideas As The Primordially Unhidden And Most Beingful Of Beings. Martin Heidegger ; Translated By Ted Sadler. Originally Published As Vom Wesen Der Wahrheit, © Vittorio Klostermann Gmbh, Frankfurt Am Main, 1988. -- T.p. Verso. Includes Bibliographical References. Text In English; Glossary In English, German, And Greek. Unhiddenness and Being; the Question Concerning the Essence of Untruth -- An Interpretation of Plato's Theaetetus with Respect to the Question of the Essence of Untruth -- Preliminary Considerations -- The Question Concerning the Essence of [characters not reproducible]: Man's Attack on the Self-evidences of His Self-understanding -- Fundamental Content of the Greek Concept of Knowledge: Fusion of Know-how and Seeing Having-Present of That Which Is Present -- Beginning of the Discussion of Theaetetus' First Answer: [characters not reproducible] Is [characters not reproducible]. Critical Demarcation of the Essence of Perception -- A[characters not reproducible] as [characters not reproducible]. The Self-showing in Its Presencing -- The Senses: Only Passage-way, Not Themselves What Perceives in Human Perception -- The Soul as the Relationship that Unifies the Perceivable and Holds It Open -- Colour and Sound: Both Perceived at Once in [characters not reproducible] -- Stepwise Unfolding of Perceiving in All Its Connections -- Step One: Perceiving of Beings as Such -- A Strange 'Excess' in the Perceived over and above the Sensory Given: 'Being' and Other Characters as the Necessary but Unnoticed Co-perceived -- Step Two: Inquiry into What Perceives the Excess in the Perceived -- The Sense-Organs: No Passage-way to the Common in Everything Perceived -- The Soul as What Views the [characters not reproducible] in [characters not reproducible] -- Step Three: The Soul's Relation to Being as Striving for Being Offers the most thorough explanation of the most fundamental and abiding theme in Heidegger's philosophy: the relationship of an individual's existence to truth.