Von der Kulturkritik der „Menge“ zur existenzialen Analytik des „Man“

Abstract

The article examines the influence of Kierkegaard’s understanding of “the crowd” (Mængden) on Heidegger’s conception of “the one” (das Man). Even though a detailed analysis reveals striking similarities in their phenomenological descriptions, a fundamental difference between the two accounts can hardly be overlooked. Whereas Kierkegaard considers “the crowd” a contingent condition of his own authorship, Heidegger takes “the one” to be a necessary component of the structure of Dasein as such. This not only leads to divergent understandings of the relation between authentic and inauthentic existence, but it also and ultimately points to a fundamental difference in terms of the basic anthropological premises underlying and guiding Kierkegaard’s and Heidegger’s work as a whole. In order to historically contextualize the present study, the crucial intermediary role of the translator, critic and author Theodor Haecker will also be specified