Overcoming the Contemplative Tradition: An Examination of Heidegger’s Fundamental Ontology

Abstract: Aristotle establishes a hierarchy among the classic trichotomy, namely, theoria/sophia, praxis/phronesis and poiesis/techne, with theoria/sophia at its very top. The Aristotelian strategy is taken as a paradigm case of the contemplative tradition. In Plato’s Sophist, centering on keywords such as aletheia, being, and time, Heidegger offers us an ontological reconstruction of the contemplative tradition. How does Being and Time deal with the classic trichotomy? There are opposed views to this question: Volpi’s model and Taminiaux’s model. The former claims that fundamental ontology overturns the contemplative tradition, whereas the latter claims that fundamental ontology continues the contemplative tradition. I accept the former and reject the latter. In the light of Volpi’s model, Heidegger’s way of overcoming the contemplative tradition and his strategy of repositioning the classic trichotomy can be captured in the following two theses: I. Dasein is the ontologization and radicalization of praxis/phronesis; II) Vorhandenheit (corresponding to theoria/sophia) is derived from Zuhandenheit (corresponding to poiesis/techne). The Heideggerian strategy is vindicated by the later developments of 20^th century Western philosophy in the sense of effective history. The revival of practical philosophy echoes and deepens thesis I. Thesis II ignites the enthusiasm of philosophers to create dialogue between Heidegger’s philosophy and American pragmatism.