heidegger

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION
While philosophy began with wonder and curiosity about the nature of the universe, it progressed uninterruptedly through the ancient and medieval period and in fact, into the early modern era with its singular object: the search for the ultimate meaning of being.
Hence thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Hegel, et cetera conceived being as the most abstract and universal concept. However, their inability to sustain the question of the meaning of being brought in the initial shortcoming of traditional metaphysics: the forgetfulness of being. More so, the Hegelian shift of the consideration of being to an amazing speculative extreme in the notion of the Absolute Idealism alienated being from the territory of man and his concrete existential problems.
Providentially, the Hegelian ‘amazing shift’ was to be the birth of an existential philosophy, through Soren Kierkegaard who attacked his (Hegel’s) abstract idealism. An existential philosophy is that “which endeavors to analyse the basic structure of human existence and to call to an awareness of their existence in its essential freedom”, (1) The concern of philosophy was shifted from metaphysical realities to the concrete existence of man, the being of man and the realities of his existence.
Martin Heidegger was one of the thinkers who contributed greatly to the growth of the existentialist movement, although he emphatically rejected the label “Existentialist”. (2) Expounding the contributions of Heidegger to the growth of existentialism, S.E. Stumpf writes:
With one bold stroke, he shifted the attention of twentieth
Century continental philosophy away from traditional
Concerns about theories and books and focused instead
Upon the concerns of thinking individuals. (3)
Thus, Heidegger systematically transformed the concept of Being from a highly abstract and remote concept into a subject of everybody’s concern. In the introduction to his ‘magnus opus’, Heidegger makes a vivid declaration of the aim of his inquiry and he says, “…So it is fitting that we should raise anew the question of the meaning of Being. Our aim in the following treatise is to work out the question of the meaning of being and to do so correctly.”(4)
Heidegger is not just interested in any sort of being. Rather, he is concerned with the “Being of beings”, the ultimate Being. But what actually is this Being of beings? Omoregbe aptly gives response: “it is that from which all beings derive their being and it is present in all beings.” (5) Going further, Omoregbe continues to explain: “it is not an existing entity, but all existing entities derive their being from it and it is everywhere. It is being itself but not a particular being”.(6) To make way for an easy in-road into the study of Being, Heidegger considers the appropriate gateway to the territory of being. He observes;
To work out the question of Being, adequately, we must
Make an entity, the inquirer transparent in his own being.
The very asking of this question is an entity is an entity’s
Mode of Being, and as such it gets its essential character
From what is inquired about- namely Being.(7)
Obviously, this entity is man for man only can ask question about Being. Hence, Heidegger concludes: this entity which each of us is himself and which includes inquiring as one of the possibilities of it’s being we shall denote by the term, “Dasein”. As it is, Dasein has various modes of existence, which could be authentic or inauthentic. It is from this that we extract the doctrine of authenticity in Heidegger, which forms the basis of this inquiry. Let us consider a while who this Heidegger, the shepherd of being is.
The most celebrated German philosophy, Martin Heidegger was born on September 26, 1889, in Messkirch in southern part of Germany. He was brought up by his parent as catholic and even wanted to become a priest but his failing health condition extinguished this particular desire. However, he remained at the university of Freiburg where he had studied theology for four semesters. He was seventeen when his pastor introduced him to philosophy. He gave him a book by Franz Brentano titled “On the manifold meaning of Being according to Aristotle.” This work, though difficult, made such an impression upon Heidegger and launched him on his lifelong endeavour to explore the meaning of Being. Along the way, Heidegger was influenced by Kierkegard, Dostoevski and Nietzsche, Aristotle, Husserl. He published many works, some of which are “Sein und Zeit,” Being and Time (1949), Introduction to Metaphysics (1959), and The End of philosophy (1973). He eventually died in 1976 at the age of 87.
In the light of Heidegger’s thought, only Dasein’s mode of being is characterized by existence. According to him, mineness is also another characteristic of Dasein. By mineness, Heidegger means man’s ability to take vital decisions, to alter his destiny and circumstances, to make or mare himself. Elaborating on this further, he maintains that “Dasein has enormous resources, enormous possibilities from which he can either fashion out authentic life for himself or remain in the domain of inauthentic.
Conclusively, Heidegger maintains that authenticity and inauthenticity, meaning and meaninglessness, truth and untruth are all buried in the ontology structure of Dasein.
In the light of Heidegger’s thought, dasein has two basic modes of existence: authentic and inauthentic. Authentic existence is the realization of the self in which case, the Dasein affirms its true being. From this concept of authenticity in the being and existence of the Dasein, it is possible and indeed that is what we are poised to do to extend the authenticity to the realm of human community and national life. Hence, the Dasin is viewed through the wide spectacle of the society or nation. Thus, we make a gentle sweve from “authentitic selfhood” in Dasein to ‘authentic nationhood’ in Nigeria.
Since her political independence in 1960, Nigeria is plagued by many problems – political, economic, cultural, social and otherwise. Some are even led to the conclusion that we are not yet independent. The myriad of instabilities in Nigeria is captured by this researcher as emanating from the enthronement of an alien political system. The aim is, then, to explore the possibilities of the Dasein for authentic existence and apply it to the situation of the Nigeria is captured by this researcher as emanating from the enthronement of an alien political system. The aim is, then, to explore the possibilities of the Dasein for authentic existence and apply it to the situation of the Nigerian nation, solely to evolve a true Nigerian political system.
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In Heidegger’s philosophy, Dasein is the technical term for man. Man is essentially a free being who decides for himself his mode of being. Hence, Heidegger states, “Dasein always understands itself in terms of its existence- in terms of a possibility of itself: to be itself or not itself … only the particular Dasein decides its existence, whether it does so by taking hold or by neglecting”.(8) By this statement, Heidegger underscores that it is within the capacity of every man to make his existence authentic or inauthentic, no matter what his existential conditions are. Man can always transcend any ugly condition to rise to the authentic mode of existence. In much the same way, national life could be authentic or inauthentic. If a nation fails to learn from, and then transcend the experiences of her historical facts, such a nation remains an inauthentic nation. Nigeria, the so – called giant of Africa, is blessed with rich human and natural resources, but her citizens are grossly in want of a better living condition. Although she experienced the harsh attacks of the master of colonialism, the whiles have come and gone and we have “supposedly” gained independence. Nevertheless, the daily experiences of Nigerians especially the poor do not in any way depict a truly independent nation. Our contemporary leaders are doing exactly, if not more than, what the colonialists did when they held us to ransom.
Nigeria began with the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorates in 1914. This event brought the confusion that has remained with us till date since it introduced an alien political culture to a people that have continued to live separately until that forceful clash of ethnic groups. The experience of cultural alienation in the people’s political life brought in further problems such as corruption and false image of ourselves- all of which are signs of inauthenticity in national life. This is the genesis of the anxiety of this researcher as he struggles to redress the situation.
1.2 PURPOSE OF STUDY
Being conscious of the ugly historical antecedents of the Nigerian nation, especially the monster colonialism, this researcher, being aware of the “falleness”, juxtaposes the two contents. In so far as the Dasein is able to rise from the state of “falleness” to authenticity, it is the hope of this researcher that Nigeria can arise beyond her historical antecedents no matter how ugly and excruciating they were and or are.
Thus, it is the aim of this work to make a study of the status quo in Nigeria, identify the basic features of inauthenticity in the national life and then admonish for a return to authenticity through a wholesome consciousness of our situation and the attendant responsible “leap”. The aim of this study is, therefore, purely existential as it seeks to better the condition of Nigeria and Nigerians.
1.3 SCOPE OF STUDY
Given the specification for the volume of the work, an elaborate exposition of Heidegger’s thought may not possibly be realized. Nonetheless, justice will be done to the exposition and treatment of the Heideggerian Doctrine of authenticity, which is easily seen in the discussion of the modes of the existence of the Dasein.
As it pertains to Nigeria, this researcher draws inspiration from his conviction that no new work of art comes into existence without an organic link to what was created earlier. Of course, it is a popular saying and belief that history makes man. And more so, in a wider scope, man is also a maker of history. In this light, we shall engage in unmasking the historical facts of Nigeria. Only very little references will be made to the events of the present days since the solution to the problems, revolves around the curing of the wounds of the past.
1.4 METHODOLOGY
Broadly speaking, the recurrent methods in this study are exposiion, narration, and analytic approach. From the on set, the Doctrine of authenticity according to the researcher’s master and the truths of the Nigerian political sstem are exposed thoroughly. The facts elicited are carefully blended with narrative and analytic approaches.
On the other hand, the researcher will evaluate and criticize where the need arises. In exposing Heidegger, “Dasein” and “man” shall be made use of interchangeably at desired points. Direct description of the Nigerian situation will be used, but to enhance clarity of thought, other languages such as Igbo and German, will be used of where necessary. Nigeria as a nation is considered as a single entity in the manus of Heidegger’s Dasein.
1.5 DIVISION OF WORK
The work is in five chapters. Chapter one is introductory, setting forth the authentic work within a theoretical and methodological frame work. In chapter two, a subtle exposition of the doctrine of authenticity in Heidegger is carries out, through the analysis of Dasein – the territory of Being. The Nigerian political system is visited in the third chapter, Here there will be a conscious study of the Nigerian political history from past to the present.
The crux of the work is situated in the fourth chapter where the Doctrine of authenticity in Heidegger is conceptualized not in politics objectively but subjectively in Nigerian politics. It is the hope of this chapter to arrive at a definite derivation of the true Nigerian political system both in nomenclature and in proper implementation. Thereafter, chapter five brings the work to an end with the evaluation of the Doctrine of Authenticity, attempting to fix the units of its application in politics and then, the concluding remarks.
1.6 ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Words generally possess varied shades of meaning and such can provide occasions for needless and unprofitable disputes. In other to avoid such an unwholesome development, the entire key concepts being used in this work will be explained clearly.
AUTHENTICITY: According to the New Webster’s Dictionary of the English language, “authenticity” is “the quality of being authentic”. To be ‘authentic’, continues the dictionary, means to be “genuine”, “true”, and “reliable”.(9)
Etymologically ‘authenticity’, writes William Reese, derives from the Greek word “authentes” which means “one who acts authoritatively or that which one does convincingly.(10) In existentialism,(11) “authenticity” is used to describe a mode of existence in contrast to its opposite, inauthenticity. As a philosophical concept, notes J. Unah, “Martin Heidegger was the first to deal squarely with the term as the central hub on which the wheel of existentialist philosophy revolves”.(12) Robert Olson corroborates this view of Unah by saying that the term “authenticity” was introduced by Heidegger and taken over by Satre.(13)
An authentic life is a life lived in a way one has chosen to live, in utmost freedom, not determined by any external forces or authority. It is a conscious grasping of one’s possibilities and the making of meaning out of them. This understanding of “authenticity” as showcased in the modes of the existence of the Dasein represents and tallies with its usage in this work.
POLITICAL SYSTEM: The Cambridge international Dictionary of English define “politics” as the study of the ways in which a country is governed.(14) For Appadorai, politics deals with the state or political society, “… a people organized for law within a definite territory.”(15)
Hence, political system refers to any system that relates to politics, that is, any system of organization or grouping of individuals for governance. There are various political systems (16) such as unitary, federal, presidential, parliamentary system, et cetera. Every political society o country must have a political system and this emanates from the history of its geographical composition or make-up. Unless a proper system is adopted for a society there will continue to be in that country instability and problems of governance. This is actually the force underneath our quest for a True Nigerian Political System. Thus, the researcher wants, by the evolution of a true Nigerian political system, to examine the national life, being aware of the fact that the leadership of any society determines the good life and sanity of that society.