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Iain D. Thomson, "Rethinking Death in and after Heidegger" (Cambridge UP, 2024)

Feb 12, 2025

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Iain D. Thomson

Iain D. Thomson, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Mexico, dives deep into Heidegger's complex ideas on death, especially in 'Being and Time.' He clarifies the challenging language surrounding death and its impact on human existence or Dasein. Thomson explores authenticity through metaphorical death, critiques misconceptions, and connects philosophy with modern challenges. He also examines interpretations from various philosophers, shedding light on ethical implications and the significance of mortality in contemporary life.

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 3min

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Heidegger on Death and Dasein

02:57 • 14min

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Exploring Authenticity through Death and Rebirth in Heidegger's Philosophy

17:21 • 6min

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Heidegger on Death and Authenticity

23:18 • 21min

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Reinterpreting Heidegger: Death, Unity, and Contradictions in Thought

43:55 • 5min

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Philosophical Dialogues on Death and Existence

49:11 • 29min

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Embracing Finitude: The Value of Mortality

In 'Being and Time', Heidegger delves into the fundamental question of what it means to 'be'. The book is divided into two main divisions: the first analyzes the existentials of Dasein, or 'being-in-the-world', while the second grounds these existentials in temporality. Heidegger introduces key concepts such as 'Dasein', 'Being-with', and the three temporal ecstases (having-been, present, and to-come), emphasizing that Dasein's existence is essentially futural and characterized by its possibilities and projects. The work challenges traditional philosophical notions of subject and object, instead positing that Dasein is inseparable from its world and historical context.

The sickness unto death

Søren Kierkegaard

The ethics of ambiguity

Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir's "The Ethics of Ambiguity" is a philosophical work that explores the human condition in a world without inherent meaning. Beauvoir argues that freedom and responsibility are fundamental aspects of human existence. She challenges traditional ethical systems and proposes a new approach based on individual engagement with the world. The book emphasizes the importance of authenticity and commitment in the face of uncertainty. It's a significant contribution to existentialist thought and continues to inspire readers and thinkers today.

Being and Nothingness

Jean-Paul Sartre

In 'Being and Nothingness,' Jean-Paul Sartre delves into the fundamental categories of being and nothingness. He distinguishes between 'being-in-itself' (objects that simply exist and are unaware of themselves) and 'being-for-itself' (human consciousness, which is self-aware and free). Sartre argues that human beings are characterized by their freedom and responsibility, and that they must create their own being through their actions in the world. The book also introduces the concept of 'being-for-others,' highlighting the impact of others on our self-perception. Sartre rejects traditional notions of a transcendent reality and instead emphasizes the importance of individual responsibility and authenticity in human existence.

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

The novel follows Robinson Crusoe, a young and impulsive Englishman, who ignores his parents' advice and sets out to sea. After a series of misadventures, including being captured by pirates and sold into slavery, he is eventually shipwrecked on a deserted island near the coast of Venezuela. There, he spends 28 years surviving against incredible odds, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers. The story is influenced by real-life castaways such as Alexander Selkirk and blends elements of Puritan spiritual autobiography, travel literature, and adventure stories. It is considered one of the first modern novels in the English language and explores themes of ambition, self-reliance, civilization, and power.

Rethinking Death in and After Heidegger

Iain D. Thomson

Heidegger on Technology's Danger and Promise in the Age of AI

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Iain D. Thomson

Remnants of Auschwitz

Giorgio Agamben

We are coming up on the centenary of Heidegger’s Being and Time, a text that radically reshaped the intellectual landscape. One of its most central themes, death, remains one of its most difficult to understand, puzzling readers and scholars with language that at times can feel obscure and ethereal. This has generated a plethora of opinions on the topic, although without much of a consensus.

Stepping in to try and clarify the topic is Iain Thomson in his new book Rethinking Death in and after Heidegger (Cambridge UP, 2024). Unpacking dense passages, he shows the place death plays in Heidegger’s thinking, as well as the impact it would have on his later intellectual trajectory. After laying this all out, he turns to other readers of Heidegger and gives us a philosophical odyssey of various others who’ve thought along similar lines, but often developed his thinking in new directions. In showing how others have often tried to think with Heidegger, Thomson is able to tease out the subtlety of Heidegger’s own positions and what it might have to offer contemporary readers today.

Iain Thomson is a professor of philosophy at the University of New Mexico. He is also the author of Heidegger on Ontotheology: Technology and the Politics of Education and Heidegger, Art and Postmodernity. He is also the coeditor of The Cambridge History of Philosophy: 1945-2015.

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