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Schools

KSU Guest Speaker Examines Controversial Philosopher

Brazil's Nythamar De Oliveira explores the work of Martin Heidegger.

Thursday, welcomed Nythamar De Oliveira for a guest lecture titled “Heidegger’s Contribution to a Phenomenology of Justice.” The presentation was hosted by the Philosophy Student Association as part of the ongoing Mike Ryan lecture series.

Oliveira, a professor at Brazil’s Pontifical Catholic University, holds a doctorate in philosophy from Stony Brook University and has conducted postdoctoral work at Germany’s Kassel University and the London School of Economics. Oliveira’s work, primarily focusing on Latin American philosophy, has been featured in numerous publications, journals and books.

Oliveira’s lecture examined the controversy surrounding the existential philosopher Martin Heidegger. Heidegger’s 1927 book Being and Time is considered by many scholars to be one of the most important philosophical works of the 20th century. However, Heidegger has also incurred intense criticism for his allegiance to Nazism, making him one of the most polarizing figures in the world of modern philosophy.

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Oliveira said that although Heidegger’s political beliefs have been heavily scrutinized, his ideas have had a profound influence on the way many academics view the world of philosophy. “It’s interesting to remark,” Oliveira said, “that both Heideggerian thinkers and his greatest enemies tend to agree with Heidegger’s major concepts and contributions to philosophy.”

Oliveira said that understanding Heidegger’s concepts and ideas can help people better grasp modern social issues, specifically political philosophies. “When you talk about cultural relativism, it’s very easy to just say ‘well, there’s no way of making a case for right and good,’” Oliveira said. “But usually, people who study Heidegger come up with some justification for their own moral convictions and beliefs.”

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Oliveira examined Heidegger’s philosophy of social constructs and compared them with the work of the several influential Frankfurt School philosophers from the early 20th century.

“What really interests me here is the social constructionist problem right at the heart of any desperate attempt to save Heidegger or to rescue him from any important judgment,” Oliveira said.

Oliveira said Heidegger‘s work has implications on modern economic philosophy as well. “Money is what accounts for the value of relationships,” Oliveira said. “It is very much (influential in) how people think about consumerist functions in the 21st century.”

Oliveira commented on the influence of Heidegger’s work on the development of both critical theory and what he considers “Latin American Philosophy of Liberation.” He then said that modern consumerism shapes the way people perceive their own “being.”

“If you think of girls that are socialized into living with Barbies,” Oliveira said, “it wouldn’t be too different if you went to Africa, Australia, Asia or any other country. You’re going to see little girls socialized into living and being aware of housewife relationships or what is otherwise traditionally perceived as pre-feminist understanding of female roles in society.”

“This is very interesting to see how the colonialization of (the modern world) can be so subtle,” Oliveira said.

“It’s very easy that someone could take for granted her or his role in a given social context,” Oliveira said. “Heidegger had something very interesting to be used against the traditional Marxist understanding of reification.”

Oliveira said Heidegger’s ideas expressed in Being and Time were considered “radical” when first published. He said Heidegger’s mixture of theology, anthropology, psychology and cosmology forever changed how academics viewed the concept of metaphysical philosophy.

“When we try to make sense of the Heideggerian contribution to a phenomenology of justice, of course, we’re going to ask and renew the question ‘What is justice?’ ” Oliveira said. “The question remains, what do we actually owe each other?”

Oliveira said that Heidegger’s frameworks could be used to bridge ethical and political philosophy with traditional hermeneutics and phenomenology.

“We have to think of creative ways of coming up with reinterpretations and deconstructions of traditional understanding of social justice,” Oliveira concluded his lecture. “As human dwelling is our destiny.”

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