§29. We share in the unconcealment of beings [214-15] | 149

§29. Philosophizing as transcending belongs to the essence of human Dasein

12. Transcending is philosophizing, whether it happens inexplicitly in a concealed manner, or is explicitly engaged.

We showed that the essence of the theoretical lies in the letting be of beings in themselves and we called this letting be a primordial action of Dasein. The richness with which letting be occurs in the ontological projection, in transcending, now becomes clear; this transcending, however, is the fundamental occurrence of existence itself. Earlier, we called this letting be of beings a metaphysical indifference, a peculiar releasement in which beings in themselves come to word. This releasement, however, must spring from an originary acting, it is nothing other. Yet to act is to be free. In order for the properly binding character to be possible that proceeds from those beings that are manifest in themselves and demands a specific substantive content, an ontological projection (transcending) must occur, that is, a free action. Binding and necessity become possible only where there is freedom. Explicit transcending is thus a primordial action of Dasein’s freedom, indeed the occurrence of Dasein’s very space of freedom, which means, however, existing in the ground and out of the ground of Dasein.

Explicit transcending, however, as questioning concerning being as such, is philosophizing. What we merely asserted in the first hour of the course thus becomes clear: Human Dasein as such philosophizes; to exist means to philosophize. Dasein philosophizes because it transcends. In transcending lies understanding of being. Understanding of being, however, as we heard, belongs to Dasein and does so at first and for the most part in such a way that Dasein indeed understands being but does not conceptually comprehend it. Dasein could not exist as what and how it is without having unveiled and understanding such a thing as being in the ground of its essence.

The essence and core of the human being, however, have long been regarded as lying in what we call the “soul.” Plato therefore says (Phaedrus, 249 e4–6): πᾶσα μὲν ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴ φύσει τεθέαται τὰ ὄντα, ἢ οὐκ ἂν ἦλθεν εἰς τόδε τὸ ζῷον.1 “Every Dasein has, in the ground of its essence, already caught sight of beings, that is, of what in beings constitutes being, or else it would not have been able to enter into this factical Dasein” (without such looking toward being).

It is nothing other than this primordial fact of Dasein, however, that becomes a problem in explicit transcending, that is, in philosophizing. We thus see that philosophy does not first need to think up some object or other for itself or search far and wide; Dasein itself in its essence—as transcending—carries within



1. Platonis Opera (ed. Burnet), Tomus I.


Introduction to Philosophy (GA 27) by Martin Heidegger