How to Save a World: Examining Heidegger's Poet with Marion's Discourse of Praise (thesis)

Abstract

In our modern world, there exists the sentiment that poetry is useless. Philosopher Martin Heidegger rejects such a notion. He states that modern man has closed himself off from the world through self-assertive production, a movement that has left the modern world in a godless state of destitution. Heidegger asserts that the poet is the one who allows for the potential of returning the world from destitution by providing a trace of the fugitive gods and, ultimately, turning man back to the world through the use of daring language. However, Heidegger, while noting this significant ability of poets, never explains what qualifies as ‘daring language,' nor does he explain how a poet should use such language. This thesis is an expansion of Heidegger's poetic project into the realm of praise in which one comes to understand that the ‘daring language' of Heidegger's poet is the discourse of praise as proposed by theologian and phenomenologist Jean-Luc Marion. Through an exploration into Marion's discourse and performance of praise, this thesis will illuminate not only the value of poetry in a modern world, as Heidegger perceives, but also how Poets write in such a way that could save the world from destitution: they praise.