Scopes Too Narrow

I had to laugh at myself a little while reading through this hefty bit of philosophical musings. Heidegger brought up the word “resolve” and it brought my back to my final post of last semester. For the majority of my time in honors, I have ferociously abused the word “resolve” as some sort of synonym for peace of mind over these philosophical dilemmas we are ever confronted with in the classroom. Now, Webster may still agree with my former view on it, but I am taking to heart what ol’ Heidegger has to say on the matter.

“For this reason the misuse of language in idle talk…destroys our authentic relation of things.” Interestingly enough and as Facebook will testify, last night I joked with Amanda over my own choice of words in a text message to a friend: “I seriously won’t be offended.” I could have worded that in a couple of different ways, and it would have conveyed a different meaning to the person receiving the message. I appreciate what Heidegger has to say about being choosy with our words. I discovered this little problem when I went through Mashburn-osophy 101. Mashburn asked a question one day, to which none of us had a solid answer. This hurt me to watch, and it led me to question a lot in the wrong direction—much like Heidegger’s problem with questioning “rather than nothing”. I called several people I trusted to help me out with my questions. One person actually laughed and told me there was a problem with the way the question was asked because it only provided for the two possible answers Mashburn suggested to us. Once I was able to ask the question for myself in an appropriate manner, it led me to other questions rather than answers. In my opinion (if I may be so bold), the way a philosopher may pose a question may be just as deceitful as a poet that provides his own footnotes. Thank you, Dr. Schuler for pointing this out: “Because poets lie! It’s what they do!” Shall we keep them in the Republic or treat them as Orwell’s proles? I digress…

That established, I return to this fickle double-meaning of “resolve”. Heidegger states, “He who wills, he who puts his whole existence into a will, is resolved. Resolve does not shift about…but it acts out of the moment and never stops.” He then calls it the “crucial beginning of action”. How wrong I have been about resolve! It seems I do have resolve after all! Well, on most days…sometimes I am apathetic about it. What Heidegger seems to be suggesting is that resolve is willing to know, willing to question, and acknowledging that knowledge incorporates learning without hope of stopping. Resolve is this endless thirst for truth we find ourselves in, of seeking to win from the darkness of unknowing.

I shall end my ranting with my favorite lines from the passage: “Ability to learn presupposes ability to inquire. Inquiry is the willing-to-know analyzed above: the resolve to be able to stand in the openness of the essent.” [emphasis mine]

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