Aufbruch an den Rand der Philosophie
Abstract The recently discovered first draft of Heidegger’s What Is Metaphysics?, his Inaugural Lecture in Freiburg from 1929, is published here for the first time. It differs from the version known so far in numerous, philosophically relevant details. The first draft is marked by a fierce attack on “science,” a dramatic invocation of “nothingness,” and a sharp critique of the current state of philosophy or of philosophy as such. An editorial note addresses philological issues concerning the status of this text and its authenticity. An extended commentary situates it within Heidegger’s writings of the period and discusses its preparatory role with regard to his National-Socialist turn. As What Is Metaphysics? – together with Carnap’s response in “Overcoming Metaphysics Through Logical Analysis of Language” – serves as a reference point for the great divide between so-called analytic and so-called continental philosophy, this original version is an opportunity to reassess its premises and limits.