Heidegger (1889 - 1976) on teaching and learning

Martin Heidegger is not a learning theorist, he is a philosopher and his thoughts on teaching and learning are largely found in his philosophical work, although within this he does have more precise thoughts on teaching and learning.

Despite his membership of the Nazi Party, announced in his inaugural address in 1929, when he succeeded his teacher Husserl, he went on to exclude Jewish faculty members, including Husserl. Despite this, he remains a hugely influential thinker. Another idiosyncrasy was his secret affair with Hannah Ardent, a Jewish student 17 years his junior, who went on to be one of the most important political theorists of the 20th century. His break with the Western tradition of metaphysics makes him stand out with his recentring or grounding of human experience in being, not the metaphysical systems of Western thought.

Dasein

In his great work Being and Time (1927), Dasein is a ‘being-in-the-world’, not like the Cartesian ego, self or subject but within a process of being. Thinking and learning are just ways of being or engaging with the world, one must also react to and engage with the world. It follows that learning is a form of caring about (besorgen) the world, so not just thinking but interest in what is being learned. It is only if one cares that one learns, going forward to inquire and get involved with learning about the world.

One is thrown forward in life, with what one wants to be, one’s future potentialities and abilities to be. This is what drives one forward. Learners and teachers must be seen as being in the world, not subjects that have to learn about the world. One must interpret learners as first attuning through being attracted, vaguely interested or bored; then see language or discourse as the shared form of being; these lead towards goals in life that come through learning.

Teaching and learning

In What is thinking? (1954) teaching, learners and learning are seen within the context of deeper more authentic thinking. To teach or learn is to avoid the superficialities of ordinary thinking. He takes the case of a cabinet-maker apprentice, who more than just learns how to use the tools. He must find the essence of the process in the activities and the essence of the wood itself.

With this insight he reflects on the relationship between the teacher, learner and learning. In a wonderfully intense passage, he explains why teaching is harder than learning, as the teacher must not be the presenter of knowledge, a didact or pedagogue, but let the learner learn. Teaching is an exalted matter and not to be confused with titles, such as Professor.

Learning is far more than basic accumulation of knowledge and practice, more than even doing. The learner must respond and relate to the deeper effects of their craft. Using a hammer ‘ready-to-hand’ does not involve consciousness in any rational sense, which may even hamper its use. What matters is a deeper engagement with the project.

Learning is an unveiling and involves uncovering truths through direct interaction with the world. It must be genuine and immersive, leading to a transformation in understanding. Instead of merely providing information, the teacher acts as a guide, creating conditions where students deeply connect with the subject matter. He describes teaching as Leiten - leading students not by instruction but by guiding them towards personal comprehension and insight.

True learning starts with questioning. For Heidegger, questioning is not just about finding answers but about engaging with the world in a meaningful way, leading to new understandings and ways of being. Drawing from Heidegger’s ideas, dialogue-based AI can also be viewed as a learning space. Like a classroom, it facilitates questioning, exploration of topics, and genuine engagement, fostering a deeper connection with the subject matter.

Technology

In later life Heidegger wrote specifically about technology. His mistrust of modernism led him to see the technological dimension of the modern world as a reduction of humanity into a ‘resource’, reducing the possibility of living authentic lives.

In a typically Heideggerian analysis, there is far more to technology than any instrumental theory tends to suggest. Technology marks this era, as the last in metaphysical thinking, with technology replacing previous systems of belief. The technological age is different. We see technology, even ourselves, as a ‘standing reserve’ to be on call, ready, optimised and made efficient. He uses electricity as an example.

Our social or community norms are given to us, we have no choice in this but they also change. We become addicted to their easy availability and readiness.

There is an ‘enframing’ with technology to put it into a ‘standing reserve’, in advance of consumption. In that respect it is similar to the Nietzschean analysis of the world where people separate the lived world from something that is metaphysically separate. He sees technology, as a system, like a metaphysical system, that distorts our thinking and actions. However, he avoids any trite dismissal or negativity around technology, as it is also a ‘prelude’ to thinking more authentically.

Critique

His devotion to Nazism for many years showed a philosophical and political commitment to the state, with both thought and actions. There is no denying his belief that Dasein was compatible with Nazism, along with dubious theories expressed about self-sacrifice and extreme actions of anti-semitism.

As he became increasingly critical of modern technology and its impact on human existence, some argue that he failed to understand and appreciate the potential benefits of technological advancement.

His writing style is notoriously dense and obscure making his work unnecessarily difficult to understand. But the main criticisms are that his primary focus is on ontology, the study of being, therefore somewhat detached from practical, ethical, and political concerns. Overall his deconstruction of traditional metaphysical concepts has had a huge impact on postmodern thought. This influence, some argue, has contributed to a relativistic tendency, with a focus on the self’s authenticity, over other philosophical concerns, undermining the possibility of the search for objective truth and ethical standards.

Influence

Heidegger (along with Nietzsche) are two huge existentialist influences on post-structuralists such as Foucault, Derrida and Lyotard. Derrida, in particular, rejects but builds on Heidegger for his deconstructive approach to texts. That is not to say that the influence was entirely fruitful. Heidegger’s rejection of the language of Western philosophy - the subject, object, act and content - for the language of being (Sein) which is prior to the oppositional systems of appearance and reality, also led to the fragmentation, invention and playfulness with language that took these theorists, not only further away from philosophy but also any semblance of relevance or usefulness for teachers and learners. The dissolution of human nature in favour of just being-in-the world or feelings has led to de-anchoring that leaves many stranded in the process.

Bibliography

Heidegger, M., Macquarrie, J. and Robinson, E., 1962. Being and time.

Blake, N., Smeyers, P., Smith, R.D. and Standish, P. eds., 2008. The Blackwell guide to the philosophy of education (Vol. 6). John Wiley & Sons.

Heidegger, M. and Krell, D.F., 1980. Basic writings–nine key essays, plus the introduction to being and time. Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie, 42(1).