Heidegger’s Legacy and the Need/Use of Being

This article first retraces the history of Heidegger’s “The Argument against Need” and situates it in the context of extant notes from his never-completed introduction to the Gesamtausgabe titled “The Legacy of the Question of Being.” It then argues that, for the later Heidegger, Brauch (“need,” “use”) becomes another name – indeed one of the most important, albeit neglected, names – for being in its deepest sense. To appreciate Heidegger’s legacy and that of the question of being, it is crucial that we (1) critically assess the argument against Brauch qua “need” – i.e., the argument according to which the being of certain entities, such as those that predate Homo sapiens, does not depend on the human – and (2) understand the ontological sense of Brauch qua “use.” We must not only recognize that Dasein is needed for the safeguarding of truth, but also move beyond this and see being in its independent use.