Heidegger and Aesthetics -- Shanghai Sanlian Academic Library

Author: Liu Xuguang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: It is troublesome to avoid the confusion in narration caused by the "polyphony" of research. They must be combined to allow the research to unfold in a clear manner, which requires outlining the research path in advance. We will develop the research along the following line: First, we need to provide a summary and review of the overall thought of Heidegger. This summary and review is, of course, one-sided and superficial, because any overview of a thinker like Heidegger is a narrow view and is inevitably subject to the criticism of "blind men touching an elephant." However, interpretation should not aim for "objectivity" or "comprehensiveness." Heidegger tells us: what we can grasp is not the true nature of things, but only the meaning they reveal to us. Second, we will follow the general review made by step to explore the significance of Heidegger's thought for aesthetics. This means we will force Heidegger to speak in the field of aesthetics, where "forcing" means making him say what he can say but has not said, bringing his influence and insights on aesthetics to the fore. This "bringing to the fore" manifests in identifying what insights his philosophical system provides in terms of methodology, perspective, and even direction in addressing some fundamental issues in aesthetics. Third, based on his overall thought, we will study his basic views on beauty, aesthetics, the history of aesthetics, art, and poetry. The research will accomplish the following tasks: first, to introduce his basic views by listing them; second, to analyze and interpret these views, clarifying why he holds these views and what theoretical basis he has for them? What theoretical problems does he intend to solve? Finally, we will also comment on these views in light of their historical resonance, combining the history of aesthetics or interpreting the significance of these views from the perspective of the history of aesthetics. Fourth, it is essential to clarify the significance of his thought for Chinese aesthetics. We raise this question separately to consider the insights Heidegger offers for Chinese aesthetics from the perspective of Sino-Western cultural dialogue and interaction. There is no doubt that Heidegger is now a prominent field in Chinese academia and an immensely influential thinker in aesthetic research. Why? What has Heidegger provided for the study of Chinese aesthetics? What has he offered for the study of classical Chinese aesthetics? All the questions in the introduction are rhetorical, as we have said earlier. Only when a question can be answered does it become a question, and the question itself is the answer. Perhaps the answer is not important; what matters is: how did we arrive at the answer? In this sense, research is about opening up a path. Now, let us embark on this path.