Heidegger on beauty

Abstract

This paper is about Heidegger?s understanding of beauty, with regard to his specific critique and reevaluation of traditional philosophical aesthetics, known as overcoming of aesthetics. Namely, since the notion of beauty is not the most prominent one in Heidegger?s understanding of aesthetics, my aim in this paper is to point out to its role and function in the project of overcoming of aesthetics and metaphysics, and consequently, in the development of Heidegger?s later philosophy in general. I will focus my analyses on two Heidegger?s lectures dating from 1935-1936, The Origin of the Work of Art and The Introduction to Metaphysics. Both of these, in my view, represent key texts for the analysis of the notion of beauty in Heidegger. Firstly, I will analyze the relationship between beauty and art, and thus show that Heidegger?s approach to beauty implies ontological connotations (with regard to the question of Being), as well as a critique of traditional relationship between beauty and art (art as production of beauty). Secondly, I will stress the relation between beauty, truth and light (shine), and thus indicate Heidegger?s positive approach to the matter. Resulting from these analyses, Heidegger?s notion of beauty is shown as a vital part of his overcoming of aesthetics and metaphysics, but also as a specific aspect of various questions and problems of his later philosophy. Additionally, the results of these analyses can become a starting point for further interpretation of the relationship between beauty and form, and between light (shine) and Being in Heidegger?s philosophy.