Considering 'interpretation' in Being and Time in light of my previous thoughts has led what feels like further insight - but I am not sure. The direction of further exploration is unclear for me so what follows is scouting for possible paths...The projecting of understanding has its own possibility - that of developing itself. This development of the understanding we call 'interpretation'. In it the understanding appropriates understandingly that which is understood by it.
In interpretation, understanding does not become something different. It becomes itself. Such interpretation is grounded existentially in understanding; the latter does not arise from the former. Nor is interpretation the acquiring of information about what is understood; it is rather the working out of possibilities projected in understanding. (pp 188-189)
Meaning is the 'upon-which' of a projection in terms of which something becomes
intelligible as something; it gets its structure from a fore-having, a fore-sight, and a fore-conception. In so far as understanding and interpretation make up the existential state of Being of the 'there', 'meaning' must be conceived as the formal-existential framework of the disclosedness which belongs to understanding. Meaning is an existentiale of Dasein, not a property attaching to entities, lying 'behind' them, or floating somewhere as an 'intermediate domain'. (P. 193)
In every understanding of the world, existence is understood with it, and vice-versa. (p. 194)
This process of interpretation and building meaning could be one way of starting to define learning.
The ability to move between possible interpretations and meanings is a freedom and requires playfulness. In this sense the understanding could be freedom - understanding and choosing possibilities as possibilities.
Learning can be assisted by the freedom to move between, subsume and synthesise interpretations and meanings.
Previously I have suggested that playfulness may be one state-of-mind which has freedom as its understanding. This is not the totality of understanding as other states-of-mind have their own understanding. This is problematic for me. I do not think playfulness to should be limited to itself as a state-of-mind in this way. Freedom is clearly not this simple either. They are more universal than that. As is learning.
I have so many questions! Cheers Martin, I am further towards insight, I have started really exploring learning and freedom - as well as playfulness. The view from here looks interesting.
2 comments:
You may be pleased to know that Heidegger's later thought sees freedom as fundamental to truth and interpretation. I'm going through some of that right now at my own blog in relation to Heidegger's "On the Essence of Truth" (doing a summary/commentary on it), in case you are interested.
You said: "The ability to move between possible interpretations and meanings is a freedom and requires playfulness. In this sense the understanding could be freedom - understanding and choosing possibilities as possibilities."
I don't know how far you have gotten into Being and Time, but this seems quite accurate to me. Understanding/interpreting an entity as something (what he calls the as-structure) requires a gathering of beings to make a context. A student is a student only by being found in relation to textbooks, teachers, schools, GPAs, assignments, performing student activities, etc. But this doesn't exhaust the student: they are also sons/daughters, athletes, dancers, friends, cooks, music lovers, etc. It is this flexibility of beings--their ability to exceed any given way we can interpret them through their contexts/the gathering--that first allows for freedom/playfulness. The other side--on the side of man--is our ability to interpret, or (better put) our being interpretations-interpreters.
I don't know if that makes things better or worse (it's hard to do the former and easy to do the latter when talking about Heidegger), but I think you are heading in the right direction (from one Heideggerian enthusiast to another).
P.S. I love the name of the blog; it caught my eye immediately and made me think of Heidegger/Gadamer.
Cheers Kevin,
Yes - I have had a quick look at your blog and I feel it will be useful for me.
I am especially glad for the reaffirmation in your comments - sometimes it is very hard to know whether I am just tying myself in knots or not!
In particular your 'It is this flexibility of beings--their ability to exceed any given way we can interpret them through their contexts/the gathering--that first allows for freedom/playfulness.' is food for thought for me.
I have been carrying around a copy of The Essence of Human Freedom for a while and intend to dip into it once I have finished looking at Being and Time - which I am about half way through reading at the moment.
I look forward to having a deeper look at your blog and its emerging posts...
Thanks...
Pete...
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