Origin and Transmission of Knowledge in Husserl and Heidegger

Abstract

In this text a comparison is drawn between Husserl's The Origin of Geometry and Heidegger's The Origin of the Work of Art, two works written in the same period (between 1932 and 1936). It is argued that both deal with the theme of mathesis, understood in its Greek meaning, i.e. as an area concerning learning and teaching, the origin and transmission of knowledge. The fact that Husserl and Heidegger refer to two different areas shows that they understand mathesis in two different ways. For Husserl, it takes the form of a historical transmission aimed at preserving an original identity of meaning and ensuring the supratemporality of truth, while for Heidegger it takes the form of the memory of the difference that produces (and continues to produce) meaning, i.e. the eventual character of truth.

Keywords: mathesis, origin, tradition, Husserl, Heidegger, geometry, art