Since the tiem of Descartes, attempts to destroy humanism and metaphysics have consisted in attacking the reality and validity of consciousness. In recent times these attacks have taken three different forms: first, a denial of the reality of consciousness; secondly, the limitation of the meaning of consciousness to the strictly biological struggle for survival; thirdly, the charge that the cogito inflicts metaphysics with a fatal egocentrism. The following essay is a reflection on and answer to these attacks.

Being for Heidegger, Professor Alderman tells us, is like the mountain, it challenges us because it is simply there. In whatever we do, we cannot help "using" Being with a kind of comfortableness. However, there is the challenge to "mention" Being which brings a new and better kind of atunement. Man can think Being because he can be ontological. Man is both questioner and context. Any clarity in our understanding of Heidegger is a step. Professor Alderman helps us take this step. While we might find ourselves returning to dark forest-paths, for a brief moment we will have broken out into the clearing. And after that we will walk the forest-paths differently.

The following article was researched and written during the period of a summer grant from Northern Illinois University and a fall grant from Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, both of which are gratefully acknowledged here. I also wish to express my appreciation to the students of Northwestern University who provided this issue for me, (T. Kisiel)