Between Life and Existence. Heidegger’s Aristotelianism and the Question of Animality

This paper starts by investigating the Aristotelian roots of Heidegger’s stance toward animal life from 1924 lecture course “Basic concepts of Aristotelian philosophy” to 1929/30 lecture course “The fundamental concepts of Metaphysics”. In following Aristotle, Heidegger displays the ontological transition from life to existence as grounded to the peculiar linguistic ability of human beings. In doing that, both Heidegger and Aristotle seem to establish a connection between an existential faculty (logos) and the apparently dominant position occupied by our species. On the other side, though, to be endowed with logos means for human beings to be able to de-centre themselves in recognizing the essential connection to other beings in the whole of life. This insight will concur in leading Heidegger after the 20’s to the rethinking of the role played by man in the new structure of Ereignis and to crucial notions as Lichtung, Open and Quaternity. But this peculiar function seems also to specify Aristotle’s system of human (anthroposcopic) knowledge as pointing to the idea of a general continuity of life, from simplest living beings via the sublunar world to the perfect life of stars and Deity. So apparently maintaining, despite Heidegger’s claim of going beyond metaphysics, the connection with Aristotle strong even in the later stages of his thought.