Production of Presence: What Meaning Cannot Convey

Productionof Presence Vhat MeaningCannot Conuey

Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht

Productionof Presence WhatMeaningCannot Conuey

Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht

STANFORD STANFORD,

UNIVBRSITY CALIFORN IA

PRESS

Acknowledgments

Perhapsmore than any orher clan of aodemia, scholarsin the Humaniriesindulge in compiainingabour the insdrutionalaspectsof their working condirions.I have no ambition to be recognizedas an exceprionro rhis venenbleml+bur I would like ro add roday,very gntetullv and very fondln rhar working on this book gaveme the convictionofliving in the bestofall possibleinrellecrualworlds, both ar StanfordUniversiryrnd in rhe largerRepublicof Lerters.So many colleagues and friendr indeedacdvelyhelpedme in thinking firough, in witing, and evenin revisingmy small book rhat, for banal reasonsof space and proponion,I shalionly be ableto ackrowledgethosewhose supporrBs verv specificand palpable(many othersare mentioned and quoredin rhosechaprersrhat fall under the generic definition of being a "generarionalfable"). I shatl divide the addressees ofmy gurirude inro two groups,one ar Sranfordand one in the Republicot trners ar lrrge-and I cannorevenre memberall thosewho, with enreme (and I fear:poorly rewarded) pariencewere lisreninsover more than a decadero earlier versionsol'my ideason 'materialities,"followedby the "nonhermeneutic,"follorvedby "presence."

Ar Sranford,I wrnt ro rhark, rbove all. JoshuaLrndv. M.rt thew Tiews,and MargarctTompkins,wilhout whoseinsistence morivarcdin eachofrhcir cases)I "ould havesinplr (dilTercnrl.v givenup on rhis book. I am cquallvgrarefulto Robcn Harrison, for I can no longerimaginen,y intclleourl lile wirhour his prcs

(more rhan)approld I sould neverhavcdarcdro counr ,vhcn r sr.r.r.d$rnins; ro Luiz Cosm Limrrat Rio de Janciro.rir r sc.rry momenr;n r horcd dncussionrro HermannDotschar Munich, for rhe ven hard rimes(live rnd cpistuhry, u,aL,,c savcme: ro Vrlenrnr Fff ol tleing can posedo thc qu.srion ol ho$ rhe unconcealnrcnr happen).ln 6c ntiddlc ,n the tcxL Hcideggerdweils.ior sev.,al prges.on his rrcollecrionof rn rncicnr Greck renrpl.. and i( is nvo iirnhcrconccpts,rvorld rnd"eanh,' thererh.uhc derelops llcing.Of.oub., the rtl.rtion,hip in hn.ttcmp' ro thar:rctcrize tbe tenrpleas r sork ofrrt.rnd uncorccalccl Beingis berween ol rcprtsenrarior, A building. not one i Crcck ren,plc.po.rrils nothing. A complex,Lnsrerro the quesrionofho* rhe prcs enceol rhc renrplc can.ontributcto n,rkingd,c uncorcealmcnr of Being happcn rs oticred in rhe .onrrasriogdescriprionsof ''world" rnd crnh : l he is rhc self-disclosing openncs "orl,l of the brord prths of rhc simplc aml csenri.rl de.isnns in rhc destinlof.r hkuical pcople.l heeanhis rhc sponrancous fonhcoming of dr.rr shich is conrinuallr sclf:secluding.rnd to rhat ertenrshclrc.inqrnd.orccalins. ' \\'hrr cracrlvis rhc diffcrencc benveenthc rolcsth.rr canh .rnd *orld trrcsuprDseoro f,.l m the h.rpfenirrofrrurh?Regrfdingrhc asplctof trrh." rhe elemenrsrhar sc hare .rccumulrtcd rhus frr ri,r the unclenrrndingofrhc conctprof'Bcing, on thc oneharLl,and llcideggrls cvocationofrlr. rcmpl.. ox rhc othcr.con.ergcin rhc itrprcssion thar rhe rheerp,csenccoi rhc rcrrplc rriggen rhc unconcerlrncnt

of a number of drings-ir

lheir dringness-drar sufound rht

t h o s ep r t h s a n d r e l a r i o n isn w h i c h b i ( h a n d d . i t h , d i s r n { : . d ble*ing. rictorr dd disgrrce.enrlufurcc rnd dcchrc .1.!utre rhe s h : p eo f d e s n r . l i t h u r n r nb e i n g .

Sunriirg there,thc buildnrgrcstson c rockr ground This 'e{ing of drat rocl': of the *'ork dfu'vs up our of rhe rock rhe nrcr clunsr rti spontan.ou\\upporr.St$ding therc rhe buildirg hold; ts gtourd aganrstthe sorn r.ging ibole it a''l so i:in makesrhe 5torn itself mrnife$ in is riolenct. I he lun.r lnd than oi rh' iorc, rhoughilsclfaftartnrlr gld.nrg onh b\ the era'c oi Ih' sun vet firr brings to light rhc light of thc d:r. drc breadthof rhe skr ' d r cd r r k n e so f t h e n i g h t . T l c c e n t r a li d e r i n t h c s . s c n r e n c c rsb o u r " e a n h i s d e c e p t n c l r easy.Onlv lhe presenceof cenrin thines (in rhis crsc. the prev e n c eo f t h c t e D P l e )o P c n \ L r pt h e P o s s i b i l i no f o t h c r r h i n g s a p pcafirg in their primordial narcrial qualirie,-and rhis cRicr miglt be considcrcd as onc irav (and as a parrl of un'onccrli'S

is nieant to have a yrtial a(iculation, and n is

describcdas an inteerativc dimension. .rsa dimcnsion rhai brings things rogcrhcr. Brscd on thrs prcnke. I scc t*o solulions ro th. 'earrh," and Bcing .orrLl be relared p r o b l e mo i h o " * o r l d . One possibilirr is ro in and undersnnd Heidcggers Lefcrcnces ro concepG like dcstinr" or to rh€ Grcek "god" rs relcrcncesio jnregnrive dinensions thrr are less cLrlrurallr and historically speciilc rhin sc might hare imagined at fi.sr glancc lt is thLrs 'desrinics" or of ditrercnt nor inposible ro rhink, of diflerenr "gods, thrr rhel L'elong ro ihe side of Being (it is indeed quite conrenrional. ar lerst from a rhcological poinr ofvien. ro drink of'gods" as sirhdraivn from altr hisroriallv specitlc clervdav worlds). lfivc F.rrdrertn to imigine

thcir Ileing. It is ntuch more complicrt€d ro figurc our ir rvhich 'rr rhc concepr "ivorld can help us grasp rhe conccpr oi Bcing t'or ii unconcealcd Beirg has the character ol a thing ($us our fl'sl ,h.L..ul .

Clearl". \rorld

' v r n d . r . r ' - . n ro i r

'errrri"n

dc netlvork. ftis seems to be inconparible wirh $odd L'eing soDcthing es cuhuralh specific (it appcar) as the simple end essenrialdecisioDsin thc dcstir' of a listorical pcoPle Nnh s'hich rvords Heidcgger rries to illLrstrrte the crample of a sorll givcn b1 :r God's preserce in thc (lrcek rcmple .\nd he connn

B r m e a n so i r h e t e m p l c ,r h e g o d ! s p r t s c n ri n I t e m p l e t h ' p r . s e . c eo f r h c g o d n i ! i r s e l f t h cc r t e n s i o nr n d d e l n n i r a r n ronf r h e ptccircr as a holr precnrct The t.mPle od tr5 Prdcincr'hosctet' do nor li.le inlo rh€ indcnnite k is rhe ter4rlelorl tllar firr tits rogcrhcranrl ar rhe samc rime ga rcc rdrrd i*elf rlt unitr ot

desrinies and "gods as

overa.ching. as integrarive nodrlities ivithin Bcing, rarher than 'things' r v i t h i n t s e i n g ,t h c n s u c h m o d a l i t i c sc o u l d indnidual that irould nor depcnd on historicallv spe"al cific culrurcs. This rould mcan, fbr erample, and alwals on thc side ofBcing. rhrt carrh. and sea,rnd s\ are dlfferent cach rime, shapc rhings in a

in rhc presenceofor bclonging to dillcrcnr goJcof prorlucing such an cpiph.rn..

Vhar most inrcrestsrne roda' in rhc ficlcl of hisrow. rhe Tzrra tiJicatior ol ptsr vorlds

rhrr is. rtchniclucs dat prcducc rhr

i m p r e $ i o . ( o r . r a r h c r .r h . i l l u s i o n l r h . r r s o r l d s o f r h c p a s rc r n b c c o m er r n g i b l c . r g a i n i s r n a c r i v i w \ \ i r b o u r a n v * p l a n a t o n porver ir rtl,rtion to thc rchrne

"alues

ol dilfcrcnt fomrs of aet

t p i p h . n \i J ) r e \ e n i i t l . I i t , n l l ) e i x i s

is rrhri $. usi{lro d.ric.\pcri.n.. 1pftnidingsuchcrplun.triors shink ol as thc tirncrnn of historicrl kno*1cugcrn rerarron(o Bur rs rhc nerv conccptionof thc flcld of hisrorv aesrhctics). shares$irh th. llcl,l of rcsthcticsrh. disrincriv.priscncc' and rs ir doesnor prerendro oflir.rnr immedi.rtc componenr. rhe proerrn)ofprcscnritleth;crlor e'en politic.rlorientrtn,n, itself t,, rhe ol promotingrn traditn,n,rl,rccLrsation cadonlrnds ol hisron. Ili llrstlineofdctcnsc*ould sin,"aesrheticization plv be ro rsk back "h.rt ar rl1 coul.1bc srong rith sL,ch.rn .rcs ofhisr,,n Regarding thc lieldofrcrehing,finrllv,I thericiz.rtion havecon"inccdnrv.cll. oer rlrt p.rt rirv ycar, thrt neirherrcsc\p.ricDc.1rr lrrs( ecsrb.ricrnd hisroricrl drericnor hisrorit.rl as I scc rhcm) disposcof rm porcntial rhar sould o