Martin Heidegger

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Martin Heidegger

Note: The main work from which text was drawn is "The Question Concerning

Technology".

Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher, who developed existential

phenomenology and has been widely regarded as the most original

20th-century philosopher. His works include complicated essays such as "An

introduction to Metaphysics" and "The Question Concerning Technology." In

his essay "The Question Concerning Technology," Heidegger attempts to

create several intricate arguments regarding technology and the

significance of information. One prominent theme in this essay is the idea

and meaning of info rmation.

Heidegger presents his thoughts by searching for the roots of the ideas

behind information. He includes many references to German, Greek and Latin

vocabulary to better explain his ideas. In order to fully understand the

meaning and significance of informa tion, one must be educated as to the

accurate definitions of some basic vocabulary regarding information. The

first word that is significant to the idea of information that Heidegger

explains to the reader is "episteme." Episteme in basic translation can be

defined as "knowledge." "(Episteme is a term). for knowing in the widest

sense. (it) means to be entirely at home with something, to understand and

be expert in it. Such knowing provides an opening up. As an opening it up

it is a revealing." This leads to the next expression, "alethia." Alethia is used by Heidegger the same way it was defined by the ancient Greeks; "revealing." This same word is translated by the Romans to "veritas." Again, "veritas" in English is used

to mean "truth" which can be unde rstood as "correctness and representation." It is in this change, due to translation of ideas, that Heidegger notices some inconsistencies.

Information is an often misused term in Heidegger's opinion. As previously

noted, the translation from one language to another can often turn true

definitions of words askew, and this can cause serious problems with

larger concepts of technology and an id ea of "enframing" (gestell).

Gestell is a German word whose direct translation means "enframing." The

idea of enframing is also quite prevalent in this essay.

"We now name that challenging claim which gathers man thither to order the

self-revealing as standing-reserve: "ge-stell" (enframing). We dare to use

this word in a sense that has been thoroughly unfamiliar up to now.

According to ordinary usage, the word Gestell (frame) means some kind of apparatus, e.g., a bookrack. Gestell is also the name for a skeleton. And the employment of the word

Gestell(enframing) that is now required of us seems equally eerie, not to

speak of the arbitrariness with which words of a mature language are so

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