Zollikon Seminars: An Evening’s Exchange
from Z O L L I K O N S E M I N A R S 1 9 5 9 – 1 9 69 [The Zollikon Seminars were a series of philosophical seminars delivered between 1959 and 1969 by Martin Heidegger at the home of Swiss psychiatrist Medard Boss. The topic of the seminars was Heidegger’s philosophical method as it pertained to the theory and praxis of medicine, psychology, psychiatry and psychotherapy. The protocols of the seminars, along with correspondences between Heidegger and Boss, were published in German in 1987 under the title Zollikoner Seminare, Protokolle- Gersprache- Briefe Herausgegeben von Medard Boss. The English version of the text was published in 2001. Here is a section from an evening’s informal discussion ] July 6,1964, at Medard Boss’s Home But let us praise not only the sage Whose name shines on the book, For first of all one has to tear the wisdom from the sage. That is why the customs collector should also be thanked. He was the one who asked it of him. Legend [“Legend of the Origin of the Book Tao-te-Ching by Lao Tzu on His Way to Emigration”] (Bertolt Brecht) MARTIN HEIDEGGER: For once we must disregard all science in view of what we will now discuss, that is, no use should be made of it now. It must be asked then in a positive sense: How then should we proceed? We must learn a new way of thinking—a thinking which was already known to the ancient Greeks. Returning to the theme of our last meeting, we ask: Is this the same table which stands before me today? SEMINAR PARTICIPANT: I remember it differently. It’s really not the same! It’s been exchanged. MH:Suppose it is the same [derselbe]. Is it also alike [dergleiche]?* SP: No, I remember it differently. MH: In the aide-memoire [seminar protocol] which lies in front of you, the expression “pure and simple” is used. How about it? SP: It has something to do with something simple and plain. MH: Yes, but is this “acceptance” [hinnehmen] actually so simple? Obviously not. Direct acceptance is not an absolute certainty. Does it have the character of certainty at all? SP: It has a momentary certainty: It is here and now, not absolute. MH: What characteristic of certainty does direct receiving-perceiving have? SP: Empirical existence. MH: It is an actual, but unnecessary existence. This is called assertoric certainty. This is in contrast to what is called apodictic certainty, for example, 2 X 2 = 4. Apodictic certainty is not absolute either, but it is necessary. Why isn’t it absolute? .. . In 2 X 2 = 4 “the same as” [=, equals] is presupposed. It is also presupposed that two always remains identical to itself; therefore, it is a conditional certainty. Now, we first described this table, but that is not what interests us. Only “the table which exists” is of interest to us. We took this existence for granted in the sense of what is called acceptance. Now, what does it mean to exist? Being is not a real predicate according to Kant, but we speak about the table’s existence. What is meant by this “real”? It indicates relating to the nature of a thing [Sachhaltifrkät]. In this sense, existence is not real. Nevertheless, we attribute existence to the table. Existence belongs to it. How does it belong to it? What does existence mean? SP: The table is in space. MH: Does this belong to the nature of the thing? SP: Extension is a property of space. MH: How? SP: It has extendedness [Ausgedehntheit]: how high it is; how wide, and so forth. These are its dimensions. MH: Are extension and dimension different? What is the difference? SP: Dimension is an arbitrarily selected extension. MH: How do particular spaces relate to “space”? SP: Space contains them. MH: Space is not “the universal in relation to [particular] spaces, as with trees, for example, as the tree is [the universal] to particular trees. Now, what characterizes this space? SP: It is space, which is demarcated. MH: It is a space for living; it contains useful things. There is an orientation to things in space. Things have a special meaning for the people who live there. They are familiar to some [of the people], but strange to others. This space has characteristics other than “space.” How is the table in space now? SP: It belongs to space; it takes up space. MH: But how? SP: It has a shape which limits it according to its space. MH: Yes. Now you can see how it is with this aide-memoire, as they call it. What meaningless sentences! That’s why we*re so helpless with this scribbling on paper! Now, we are asking whether this table would still be here if Dr. R. were no longer here to see it. SP: Both of them are located in the space, which separates the observer from the table, as well as connects him to it. MH: Separates? Are you sure? If something is separated, it must have first been connected. SP: Better to say distant from, removed from. MH: Distance [in the originary, ontological sense] has nothing to do with separating and connecting. Now, last time we asked: If we put a wall between the table and Dr. R., [then] is the table still there? SP: Then the table is no longer visible to the observer.