Heidegger and the History of Words: Formative Aspect of the Destruction of Tradition

Abstract

This article presents the results of a hermeneutical investigation on the constant etymological incursions performed by Heidegger throughout his works. We will try to show, first, how the recovery of the history of words promoted by the philosopher is associated with a way of understanding and doing philosophy, which he called destruction (Destruktion) of tradition; then we will explore the pedagogical-educational character that underlies this way of dealing with history and, more specifically, with language. We will argue in favor of the idea that by means of this way of proceeding, in this peculiar way for which Heidegger does philosophy, the loosening of dogmatic structures of interpretation of self and of the world is opportunistic and opens up for new possibilities of articulation of meaning (that is, projection of self and of the world as a whole). In the educational context, this destructive posture would have the important role of breaking both with dogmatic attitudes arising from immediate daily life and with metaphysical ideals linked to theoretical positions, both of which are opposed to the plurality of ways of being in today's society.