Peter Trawny | Heidegger and the Myth

This is a special episode of R&T. Firstly, prof. Jayne Svenungsson gives an introductory opening adress to the entire "Heidegger and theology" symposium, and secondly, sets the stage not only for the symposium as such but also for the episodes main focus: the lecture on "Heidegger and the Myth" by prof. Peter Trawney

Trawney studied philosophy, musicology, and history of art in Bochum, Freiburg, Basel, and Wuppertal, and have taught at universities in Shanghai, Vienna, and Stockholm. He currently teaches at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, where he is also the director of the Martin-Heidegger-Institut. He is the editor of several volumes of the Martin-Heidegger-Gesamtausgabe (GA 35, 69, 73, 86, 90, 94–97).

Jayne Svenungsson is Professor of Systematic Theology at Lund University, Sweden.

 Full abstract: "One of the later definitions of Heidegger’s own thinking is: ‘Mytho-Logy of the event of appropriation’. In this sense it is important to understand Heidegger’s own explanations of ‘myth’ and ‘logos’, as we find them at the beginning of the 1930’s. ‘Myth’ is the context in which Heidegger can locate his narrative of the ‘history of Being’. In this ‘history’ the ‘gods’ and the ‘last God’ are playing a leading role. The ‘gods’ and the ‘last God’ (for both Hoelderlin’s poetry is the key) appear as an alternative to Christianity, which is harshly ‘criticized’ in the ‘Black
Notebooks’. ‘Theology’ is replaced by ‘mythology’. My paper wants to unfold the influence of the problem of the ‘myth’ on Heidegger’s thinking including the problem of Bultmann’s ‘demythologization’ and anti-Semitism (Judaism as the death of the ‘myth’ – and as the source for the ‘myth’ of ‘the Jew’)."

This presentation can found in a revised version, in the anthology Heidegger's Black Notebooks and the Future of Theology, edited by dr. Mårten Björk and prof. Jayne Svenungsson. 

 

Religion and Theology is produced by Joel Kuhlin for the Center for Theology and Religious Studies.

If you have comments or critique of this episode, or any other episodes of R&T, please write an email to religionochteologi@outlook.com. 

Music for R&T is generously provided by the trio Nous (Thomas Hellsten, Tom Tveita, Per Boqvist).