Heidegger’s Criticism of the Concept of World in Descartes’ Philosophy

Abstract

The aim of this article is to illustrate Heidegger’s criticism of the concept of world in Descartes’ thought. This criticism finds its grounds on a novel conception of world Heidegger has brought forward in Being and Time, and pursued in his ensuing writings. The method of this article lies originally in analyzing the concept of world on the basis of the two philosophers’ views, and finally drawing a comparison between them. The Cartesian world has been characterized as extension but the Heideggerian world is indeed a web/network of relations constituting Dasein’s life. Dasein is in the world but the reverse does not hold true: the world is not in Dasein’s mind. The world is a basic background in which there lies the possibility of making relations, and giving significance toward the ready-to-hand. Henceforward, Heidegger, in some writings of his later thought, criticizes the Cartesian concept of world. In “The Age of World Picture” and “The Question Concerning Technology”, Heidegger pays careful attention to the transformation of world into picture and energy-source both of which are the essential consequences of Descartes’ conception of world. The conclusion of this article portrays the fact that the sovereignty of technology in contemporary era stands in line with the Cartesian conception of world.