Darkness, Sleep, and Dream-Worlds: On a Metaphysical Problem in the Early Heidegger

Abstract In The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics , Heidegger refers to, but does not further elaborate on, a metaphysical problem opened up by sleep. This paper explores this problem in the context of his work in the 1920s. I first discuss the methodological significance of Heidegger’s references to darkness, sleep, and dreams and his comments on Aristotle’s treatise on sleep. I then broach the phenomena of darkness and dreams themselves, specifically the experience of the uncanny, time, and possibility that they elicit. Afterwards I examine Heidegger’s brief characterization of the dream world in commenting on Heraclitus fragment 89 and draw out its phenomenological implications. I conclude by discussing the metaphysical perspective opened up by the world of sleep.