Philosophy

Philosophy

The Construct of God and Existential Sameness An Interpretation of the Status of the Divine in Fundamental Ontology and the Necessity of Heidegger’s Turn

Document Type : Scientific-research

Author
Ahmad Rajabi
Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jop.2025.400151.1006941
Abstract
In this paper, I aim to demonstrate what the construct of God means in Heidegger’s thought, how it relates to the structure of fundamental ontology, and in what way—given Heidegger’s principal claim in his critique of metaphysics as onto-theology—it leads to failure and self-subversion, thereby rendering his philosophical "turn" both necessary and justifiable. The inquiry proceeds in three stages: first, an interpretation of Heidegger’s critique of the metaphysical construct of God as pure presence, under which the self-referential and reflective structure of presence reduces the sameness of Being and intellect to their equality. Second, an interpretation of the construct of God based on temporality, as developed in Heidegger’s pre-turn understanding of temporality as the Clearing (Lichtung) and origin of ontology. By positing existential sameness in the structural unity of Dasein’s existence as temporality, Heidegger remains entangled in the reflective model of pure presence. Thus, for him, the construct of God retains validity and meaning only within the realm of faith, not philosophy. The third part explores the failure of existential sameness and the necessity of Heidegger’s transcendence —after the turn— from temporality as the origin of ontology toward the precedence of the Clearing over Dasein, and the resulting transformation in his understanding of divinity.
Keywords
Construct
existential Sameness
Ontotheology
Presence
Clearing
Temporality
Dasein
Subjects
 
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  • Receive Date 06 August 2025
  • Revise Date 22 October 2025
  • Accept Date 26 October 2025