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Heidegger on Freedom: Political not Metaphysical

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

Leslie Paul Thiele
Leslie Paul Thiele
Affiliation:
University of Florida
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Abstract

This essay analyzes modern and postmodern concepts of freedom and contrasts them to a Heideggerian understanding. Positive, negative, and what might be called Foucaultian or Nietzschean liberty are demonstrated to bear a common trait. In such modern and postmodern formulations, freedom is consistently identified with a form of mastery. This identification of freedom with mastery, I argue, encourages ecological abuse, supports the dangerous prerogatives of statist sovereignty, and strengthens the resilience of patriarchy. The political significance of Heidegger's alternative vision is addressed.

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American Political Science Review , Volume 88 , Issue 2 , June 1994 , pp. 278 - 291
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Copyright © American Political Science Association 1994

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