Heidegger, Translation, and the Task of Thinking

Transcription

1 Heidegger, Translation, and the Task of Thinking

2 CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHENOMENOLOGY IN COOPERATION WITH THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH IN PHENOMENOLOGY Volume 65 Series Editors: Nicolas de Warren, Wellesley College, MA, USA Dermot Moran, University College Dublin, Ireland. Editorial Board: Lilian Alweiss, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Elizabeth Behnke, Ferndale, WA, USA Rudolf Bernet, Husserl-Archief, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium David Carr, Emory University, GA, USA Chan-Fai Cheung, Chinese University Hong Kong, China James Dodd, New School University, NY, USA Lester Embree, Florida Atlantic University, FL, USA Alfredo Ferrarin, Università di Pisa, Italy Burt Hopkins, Seattle University, WA, USA Kwok-Ying Lau, Chinese University Hong Kong, China Nam-In Lee, Seoul National University, Korea Dieter Lohmar, Universität zu Köln, Germany William R. McKenna, Miami University, OH, USA Algis Mickunas, Ohio University, OH, USA J.N. Mohanty, Temple University, PA, USA Junichi Murata, University of Tokyo, Japan Thomas Nenon, The University of Memphis, TN, USA Thomas M. Seebohm, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Germany Gail Soffer, Rome, Italy Anthony Steinbock, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL, USA Rosemary Rizo-Patron Lerner, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Lima, Peru Shigeru Taguchi, Yamagata University, Japan Ted Toadvine, University of Oregon, OR, USA Dan Zahavi, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Richard M. Zaner, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA Scope The purpose of the series is to serve as a vehicle for the pursuit of phenomenological research across a broad spectrum, including cross-over developments with other fields of inquiry such as the social sciences and cognitive science. Since its establishment in 1987, Contributions to Phenomenology has published nearly 60 titles on diverse themes of phenomenological philosophy. In addition to welcoming monographs and collections of papers in established areas of scholarship, the series encourages original work in phenomenology. The breadth and depth of the Series reflects the rich and varied significance of phenomenological thinking for seminal questions of human inquiry as well as the increasingly international reach of phenomenological research. For further volumes:

3 Frank Schalow Editor Heidegger, Translation, and the Task of Thinking Essays in Honor of Parvis Emad

4 Editor Frank Schalow Department of Philosophy University of New Orleans NEW ORLEANS Louisiana USA ISSN ISBN e-isbn DOI / Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: Springer Science+Business Media B.V No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (

5 A dictionary can provide an indication for understanding a word but it is never a simple authority that would be binding a priori. The appeal to a dictionary is always an appeal to an interpretation of language which is often not grasped at all in its style and limits. Considered in view of the historical spirit of a language as a whole, no dictionary provides an immediate standard; and none is binding... There is no translation at all in which the words of one language could or should cover the words of another language... Translation is an awakening, clarifying, and unfolding of one s own language by coming to grips with the foreign language. Martin Heidegger

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7 Preface We do not know goals and are only a pathway Heidegger, Mindfulness, p This volume of essays honors the many contributions of Parvis Emad throughout his life and career of four decades, both as an interpreter and a translator of Martin Heidegger s writings. Though Emad has addressed various thinkers in his scholarly articles and books, his legacy primarily revolves around his impact in advancing the understanding and appropriation of Heidegger s thought throughout the United States and the world. As we enter another decade, the interest in and influence of Heidegger s thinking continues to grow at a remarkable rate. We would not be surprised, then, that there are many different avenues for approaching his philosophy. The central approach that this volume of essays will embody, taking its cue both from the example and spirit of Emad s work, is that the task of translation provides a unique gateway to Heidegger s thought. One of the distinct advantages of this Festschrift is that the longevity of Parvis Emad s career offers a perspective on how much has changed in the field of Heidegger studies during the past four decades. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the interest in Heidegger s thinking was just beginning to blossom, and, with the exception of his magnum opus, Being and Time (1962), precious little of his writings had been translated into English. As interest in his thought would continue to grow, and, on the cusp of his death in 1976, the publication of the initial volumes of his Gesamtausgabe ushered in a new era in the field of Heidegger studies. The few translations of Heidegger s works which appeared in the 1960s, provisional and incomplete as they were, nevertheless served to introduce an English-speaking audience to his philosophy. The translations that followed, particularly those which were 1 Martin Heidegger, Besinnung, Gesamtausgabe (Hereafter, GA 66) (Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann, 1997), p. 9. Mindfulness, trans. Parvis Emad and Thomas Kalary (London: Continuum, 1997), p. 6. vii

8 viii Preface based on the texts of the Gesamtausgabe, perhaps had an even greater impact insofar as they allowed the unity of Heidegger s thinking to unfold (rather than in a piecemeal fashion). While these translations sparked new interest in Heidegger s thinking, and even promoted occasional reflection on the strategies of translation, the publication of one volume in particular, Beiträge zur Philosophie (vom Ereignis) [1989] and its subsequent translation (by Parvis Emad and Kenneth Maly) under the title Contributions to Philosophy (From Enowning), 2 would dramatically and irrevocably transform the landscape of Heidegger studies. Not only does Heidegger significantly radicalize his own philosophy as well as the language for its expression throughout this text, he also provides the keys to unravel various confusions surrounding the development of his thinking, most notably the so-called turning (die Kehre). Yet, there is also another factor that cannot be underestimated in terms of its impact, 3 and which, because of his role as a co-translator as well as an interpreter of this text, placed Emad before a new threshold in the study of Heidegger s thought. Specifically, the complex and original language of Beiträge zur Philosophie equally in regard to its distinctive idioms and syntax not only underscored the difficulty of translating this text into English, but self-reflexivity crystallized the parallel issue as to the hermeneutic methodology of translation itself. Now the question of translation, which had been considered only peripherally, had to be addressed seriously. Suddenly, the concern for translation as a task vaults into the forefront of the study of Heidegger s thinking, in a way which had never occurred before. A new era in the study of Heidegger s philosophy is born. In retrospect, and in a way that is surely more evident today, Parvis Emad stood at the forefront of this new era, and, even at this juncture of his career, continues to do so. First, as the editor-in-chief of Heidegger Studies in 1985, he outlined the threefold mission of this journal: (1) as cultivating the interpretive exploration of the new texts of the Gesamtausgabe, (2) as fostering international interest in Heidegger s writings by publishing articles in English, German, and French, and (3) as stated in the prelude to the inaugural issue of Heidegger Studies, as tak[ing] seriously the distinction that Heidegger makes between merely scholarly research in philosophy and philosophy as thinking that is underway... 4 Instead of only translating Heidegger s writings, as many have done, Emad developed his own insights into the hermeneutic methodology of translation in order to offer, in his most recent 2 Martin Heidegger, Beiträge zur Philosophie (Vom Ereignis), GA 65 (Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann, 1989). Contributions to Philosophy (From Enowning), trans. Parvis Emad and Kenneth Maly (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999). 3 For a discussion of this development, see Frank Schalow, The Impact of Contributions to Philosophy and its Critical Implications for the Reductionistic Interpretations of Heidegger s Thought, Heidegger Studies, 25 (2009): Heidegger Studies, 1 (1985): 1.

9 Preface ix book, On the Way to Heidegger s Contributions to Philosophy, a highly original reinterpretation of the unity of Heidegger s thinking as a whole. 5 Even in the midst of this contribution, however, a further development of this insight unfolds, insofar as today Emad continues to demonstrate in his work that translation can no longer be viewed merely as an addendum to Heidegger s philosophy, but must instead be considered as integral to the task of thinking itself. By making the issue of translation a new gateway for accessing Heidegger s thought, and creating an international forum within which scholars can broaden the understanding of his philosophy, Parvis Emad remains a leader in his field. Most significantly, in a climate that bends to the latest academic fashions, Emad continues to stay the course. His example instills a sense of calm in whose silence reverberates the echo of the first line of Rudyard Kipling s epoch poem, If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs... 6 The commitment to keep to the path may in the end be one of Parvis Emad s greatest lessons (and his enduring legacy as well), even to those who never attended his classes. While it was not my good fortune to have this opportunity, as did other contributors to this volume, I nevertheless consider myself to be one of his students, for he has played a vital role in enhancing my understanding of Heidegger s philosophy. In this respect, the essays in this volume each gives thanks to Parvis Emad by shifting attention to the work ahead, that is, of continuing to explore, interpret, and appropriate the thought of Martin Heidegger. Appropriately, this Festschrift begins with the translation of an original essay by Heidegger entitled Poverty ( Die Armut ), which he composed in June of In the spirit of this beginning, the essays in this volume attempt to radiate the light of Heidegger s thinking, according to the humility which comes by seeking guidance from the path, rather than only its destination. New Orleans Frank Schalow References Emad, Parvis On the way to Heidegger s contributions to philosophy. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press. Heidegger, Martin Besinnung, GA 66. Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann. Trans. Parvis Emad and Thomas Kalary Mindfulness. London: Continuum. Heidegger, Martin Beiträge zur Philosophie (Vom Ereignis), GA 65. Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann. Trans. Parvis Emad and Kenneth Maly Contributions to philosophy (From enowning). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Kipling, Rudyard If. songs from books, New York: Doubleday. Schalow, Frank The impact of contributions to philosophy and its critical implications for the reductionistic interpretations of Heidegger s thought. Heidegger Studies 25: Parvis Emad, On the Way to Contributions to Philosophy. Madison: Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2007, pp Rudyard Kipling, If, in Songs from Books. New York: Doubleday, 1927, pp

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11 Acknowledgments This Festschrift, which pays tribute to the work of Parvis Emad, would not have been possible without the efforts of those who equally embrace the mission of cultivating Martin Heidegger s thinking. The title of the opening essay, Poverty, which Heidegger composed in 1945, embodies the deepest humility of those who undertake the momentous task of interpreting and understanding his thought. In this spirit, I give thanks, first and foremost, to Herr Dr. Hermann Heidegger, executor of Martin Heidegger s literary remains, for granting me permission to publish a translation of the original German text of Die Armut. I also wish to acknowledge the inestimable help of Prof. Dr. Friedrich-Wilhelm von Herrmann for his counsel and direction in helping to bring this Festschrift to fruition. I would like to thank Duncker and Humblot for granting me the rights to reprint a revised version of The Phenomenal Basis of Entities and the Manifestation of Being According to Sections of Being and Time: On the Pragmatist Misunderstanding, by Marylou Sena, Heidegger Studies, 11 (1995): 11 31, as well as A Conversation with Parvis Emad on the Question of Translation in Heidegger, by Frank Schalow, Heidegger Studies, 25 (2009): I would also like to thank State University of New York Press for allowing me to reprint a revised version of Heidegger and the Ethics of Faciticity, by Eric Sean Nelson in Rethinking Facticity, ed. Eric Sean Nelson and François Raffoul (Albany: SUNY Press, 2008), along with The Romanian Society for Phenomenology, for granting me permission to publish a revised version of Heidegger s Contributions to Philosophy and the Failure of A Grassroots Archival Perspective, by George Kovacs, Studia Phaenomenologica, 6 (2006): Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of Springer Publishers, including Willemijn Arts, Maja de Keijzer, Naomi Portnoy, and Anita Fei van der Linden, as well as the editors of the series Contributions to Phenomenology, Professors Nicholas de Warren and Dermot Moran, for their much needed encouragement and support to see this volume through publication. xi

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13 Contents Part I Heidegger s Pathway Poverty... 3 Martin Heidegger, Translated by Thomas Kalary and Frank Schalow Introduction Frank Schalow Part II The Search For Beginnings and the Onset of Being-Historical Thinking Deformalization and Phenomenon in Husserl and Heidegger Burt C. Hopkins A Purview of Being: The Ontological Structure of World, Reference (Verweisung) and Indication (Indikation) Marylou Sena Heidegger s Experience with Language George Kovacs Heidegger s Thinking of Difference and the God-Question Thomas Kalary Substance and Emptiness: Preparatory Steps Toward a Translational Dialogue Between Western and Buddhist Philosophy Paola-Ludovika Coriando, Translated by Virginia Lyle Jennings Colombo Preliminary Notes on Divine Images in the Light of Being-Historical Thinking Bernhard Radloff xiii

14 xiv Contents Part III The Place of Translation in Heidegger s Thinking A Conversation with Parvis Emad on the Question of Translation in Heidegger Frank Schalow Heidegger s Contributions to Philosophy: The Challenge of Its Translation George Kovacs Dasein and Da-sein in Being and Time and in Contributions to Philosophy (From Enowning) Friedrich-Wilhelm von Herrmann, Translated By Bernhard Radloff Husserl and Heidegger on Da-sein: With a Suggestion for Its Interlingual Translation Ivo De Gennaro Heidegger, Hölderlin, and Eccentric Translation Julia A. Ireland Individuation, Responsiveness, Translation: Heidegger s Ethics Eric Sean Nelson Attunement and Translation Frank Schalow Appendix: List of Publications of Parvis Emad Selected Bibliography Index Greek Index

15 Contributors Paola-Ludovika Coriando is professor of philosophy at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Her books include Der Letzte Gott als Anfang. Zur abgründigen Zeit- Räumlichkeit des Übergangs in Heideggers Beiträge zur Philosophie (1998), Affektenlehre und Phänomenologie der Stimmungen (2002), and Individuation und Einzelsein: Nietzsche Leibniz Aristoteles (2003). Ivo De Gennaro is professor of philosophy at the Free University of Bozen- Bolzano, Italy. His articles include Why Being Itself and Not Just Being? in The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy, (2007): and Heidegger on Translation Translating Heidegger, Phänomenologische Forschungen, 5 (2000): He is the author of Logos Heidegger liest Heraclitus (2000). He is currently preparing a translation (in Italian) of Besinnung, Vol. 66 of Heidegger s Gesamtausgabe. Friedrich-Wilhelm von Herrmann is professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Freiburg, the chief editor of Martin Heidegger s Gesamtausgabe, and coeditor of Heidegger Studies. He is also the author of a three-volume commentary on Sein und Zeit. Hermeneutische Phänomenologie des Daseins. Ein Kommentar zu Sein und Zeit, vol. 1, Einleitung: Die Frage nach dem Sinn von Sein (1987); Ein Kommentar zu Sein und Zeit, vol. 2, Erster Abschnitt: Die vorbereitende Fundamentalanalyse des Daseins, 9-27 (2005); and Hermeneutische Phänomenologie des Daseins. Ein Kommentar zu Sein und Zeit, vol 3 (2008). Burt C. Hopkins is professor and chair of the Philosophy Department at Seattle University. He is the coeditor of The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy, and author of Intentionality in Husserl and Heidegger. The Problem of the Original Method and Phenomenon of Phenomenology (1993). Julia A. Ireland is assistant professor of philosophy at Whitman College. She is completing a book on Heidegger s interpretation of Hölderlin entitled To Become German: Heidegger s Hölderlin. She is co-translator with William McNeill of volume 53 of Heidegger s Gesamtausgabe, Hölderlin s Hymn The Ister (1997) under the name xv

16 xvi Contributors Julia Davis, and is currently translating with McNeill Hölderlin s Hymns Germania and The Rhine (GA 39) and Hölderlin s Hymn Andenken (GA 52). Thomas Kalary is professor of philosophy at Suvidya College, Bangalore, India. He is the author of Das befindliche Verstehen und die Seinsfrage (1999), and co-translator (with Parvis Emad) of Mindfulness (2006). George Kovacs is professor emeritus of philosophy at Florida International University. He is the author of The Question of God in Heidegger s Phenomenology (1990). Eric Sean Nelson is associate professor of philosophy at University of Massachusetts Lowell. He has coedited several works, including Re-thinking Facticity (2008), Addressing Levinas (2005), and the Continuum Companion to Heidegger (forthcoming). He has published over 30 articles on 19th and 20th century European philosophy. Bernhard Radloff is professor of English at the University of Ottawa. He is the author of Gestalt and Disclosure: Heidegger and the Question of National Socialism (2007). Frank Schalow is university research professor at the University of New Orleans. He is the author of several books, including The Incarnality of Being: The Earth, Animals, and the Body in Heidegger s Thought (2006), Heidegger and the Quest for the Sacred (2001), and The Renewal of the Heidegger-Kant Dialogue: Action, Thought, and Responsibility (1992). Marylou Sena is an associate professor of Philosophy at Seattle University. She has published articles in various journals, including Research in Phenomenology and Heidegger Studies. She currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy. Virginia Lyle Jennings Colombo has published articles in Heidegger Studies and Existentia.