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beyond the scope of the present work to assess this issue, it has to be remarked that there is a striking similarity between Beaufret's point and Gadamer’s criticism of Derrida’s perception of Heidegger and especially of Derrida’s argument against “the metaphysical concept of logos" and against “the logocentrism that is inscribed even in Heidegger’s question about Being as a question about ti c meaning of Being". As

h a s the tendency to "remain unnoticed", viz. to the "undii-Aosed harmony" of m etaphysics itself (Ibid: 435).

At any rate, Heidegger's m editations on art are p en reated through and through by the attem pt to link artistic creation and experience with the mode of

tru th (aÀr|0Eia) that becom es accessible in unconcealnumt and with the

experience of the “historical". O n the one hand, the work-asirect of the “work of art" is shown to encapsulate th e “paths and relations in w hich birth and death, disaster and blessing, victory an d disgrace, endurance an d decline acquire the shape of destiny for hum an being” (see Heidegger, 1975: 42)

This line of thought, with the em phasis it places on historical belonging and on the destiny of a peoples is rem iniscent of the reflections on historicity in Being and Time or in the Introduction to M etaphysics, while it cannot escape the insertion of the odd "speculative” rem ark concerning the nation's207 "return to itself for the fulfilment of its vocation" (Loc.cit).

Despite appearances pointing to the contrary, it is doubtful w hether this form ulation can be treated as ideological through and through, since Heidegger

Gadamer (1985/1989b: 112) emphatically puts it though this is “an odd Heidegger. a Heidegger interpreted back through Husserl; as if speaking consisted merely of prepositional judgements”.

21,7 As observed in the second chapter, the "nation” is often confounded with the 'Volk”. In fact the same concerns are echoed in Heidegger's so-called “political writings”, i.e. in the writings from the period of Heidegger's "involvement" with "politics" and his "partisanship" for National Socialism, although in this context they are vested with a more "militant" tone. Accordingly in an address to the students of Freiburg University entitled "National Socialist Education”, Heidegger attempts to refute what he understands as a fundamental claim of Marxism, namely that “the worker” is a "mere object of exploitation" by defining "work" as “well-ordered action that is borne by the responsibility of the individual, the group, and the State and which is thus of service to the Volk". Heidegger wishes to show how mental and manual labour are united in the very concept of work, while the whole discussion is articulated Tom a perspective which substitutes the concept of the Volk for that of the social class, as the following lines of his speech show: “Worker and work, as National Socialism understands these words, does not divide into classes, but binds and unites Volksgenossen and the social and occupational groups into the o :e great will of the State (Heidegger. 1993b: 59).

h as elsewhere20” shown the shallow ness of comm on percept.ions of w hat could be term ed a “historical m ission”.

The ways in which this historical vocation is fulfilled in the < nactm ent of history taking place am idst the struggle between the earth and the world are for Heidegger exemplified also in tragedy in the form of a battle between the new and the old gods. This does not m ean that this “battle” Is explicitly draw n in the linguistic work "originating in the speech of the people”, but it is rather cloaked and transform ed. After this m utation “the people's saying" is itself transform ed and the battle is henceforth fought by “every livitg word”.

W hat is at stake in this battle? Apparently, Heideggt t’s poetical effusion boosted by an elusive reference to fragm ent 53 of H eraclitus sees in the outcom e of this battle a decision concerning “w hat is hoi) and w hat unholy, w hat great and what sm all, w hat brave and w hat cowardly, what lofty and what flighty, what m aster and w hat slave" (Ibid: 43). W hat is therefore accom plished by the work is the erection of a world; of this “ever-nonobjective to w hich we are subject as long as birth and death" hold “us transported into Being". Given th a t in the herm eneutic phenomenological jargon the “world worlds"209, the w ork is said to “hold us open to the Open of the world", which Heidegger also 2IH< See for example the following, quite illuminating remark: "Then the question would be whether man has ever been decisively given over into the realm of decision belonging to his own .'ssence, so that he shares in the grounding of his historical essence and does not merely busy himself with his 'historical missions’. Then it would be completely doubtful whether we can already know who we are, whether we can know this at all with the present claims of thinking" (Heidegger, 1998c: 75-emphasis added!. I think that the tone of the passage, and especially the use of the verb “to busy” that Heidegger often uses to indicate inauthentic comportment suggests that when Heidegger speaks of a historical vocation he does not wish to merely replicate the ideological certainties characterising the political struggles of his tin es.

21 However. Gadamer sees in this strange phraseology a break with the customary and a subsequent