RT Article
T1 Exploring the Nothing in Relation to Meister Eckhart’s God and Martin Heidegger’s Being
JF Medieval mystical theology
VO 30
IS 1
SP 37
OP 46
A1 Parsons, Elizabeth
LA English
PB Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group
YR 2021
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/176088717X
AB This paper aims to establish a parallel between Meister Eckhart’s statement that ‘God is Nothing’ and Martin Heidegger’s claim that ‘Being is Nothing.’ By observing a pattern of negation in the thought of both thinkers I will ultimately suggest that in these statements, they have reached the same conclusion. To observe negation in Eckhart I will examine his principle of indistinct distinction, which ultimately negates negation itself; for Heidegger I will consider the ontological difference between Being and beings, which too must necessarily be negated to disclose the Nothing. One key distinction that I aim to demonstrate between the two thinkers is how each considers the pertinence of the Nothing in human experience. For Eckhart, our experience of the Nothing has a unifying role, whereas for Heidegger it remains wholly repellent, in the literal sense of ‘driving back.’ Moreover, beyond the particulars of Eckhart and Heidegger, I will aim to defend the legitimacy of the Nothing as a philosophical concept.
K1 Transcendence
K1 Negation
K1 (in)distinction
K1 Nothing
K1 God
K1 Being
DO 10.1080/20465726.2021.1923244