Erbe

héritage [ETEM] heritage [BTJS] legado [STJR] NT: Heritage (Erbe), 383-386, 390-391. See also Hand down; Retrieve; Tradition [BTJS]

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A heritage consists of the traditional possibilities of existence that belong to a people or culture. The concept of heritage, introduced in §74 of Being and Time (1927), indicates the essential traits of enduring, belonging, and dwelling as opposed to the uprootedness brought about by the abandonment of being and forgetfulness of being. But because the concept has been linked to his controversial engagement with National Socialism, the significance of heritage for Heidegger’s overall project of overcoming metaphysics has been overlooked. Yet heritage is central to Heidegger’s thinking on being and is integral to his conceptions of temporality (Zeitlichkeit) and historicity (Geschichtlichkeit). Against the more common meaning, Heidegger’s notion of heritage does not signify a pre-given history characterized by an inescapable past passed down over generations to a particular group. Nor does heritage mark a simple or pure tie to a specific blood or soil, despite some prevailing views. Heidegger posits heritage as something that must be chosen and actively brought into being. Significantly, heritage arises from the future as much as it does from the past. It serves as the horizon of authentic (eigentliches) possibilities understood within the temporal structure of human existence. [Sharm N. Elkholy, WCHL]