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edu/kritikakultura>
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K R I T I K A
KULTURA
The shover made laulened drums of gaIvanized iron roofs and bounced o hasliIy
!"##$%&' )*+,*"-.%!/ !&&0.%1 )2& 3".40&!) +$")& 5*40 2$#& )$ $,&% 6*)&+ 5") 7$.-&'
al every lurn.
}ose DaIisay, Sc|c!a!s Sisicr 89:
In his seminaI Ieclure The Queslion Concerning TechnoIogy, Heidegger |uxlaoses
lvo dierenl exeriences of lhe Rhine River: one lhal is uuered in a oem of Iriedrich HIderIin
lhal bears lhe name of lhe river as ils lilIe, and anolher lhal is made ossibIe by lhe resence of a
hydroeIeclric Ianl buiIl inlo lhe river (Tnc Qucsiicn 16).
LETTING IT FLOW: TOWARDS A PHENOMENOLOGY OF WATER
IN THE AGE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY
Remmon E. Barbaza
Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines
rbarbaza@ateneo.edu
Abstract
This essay seeks to initiate a phenomenology of water in the age of modern technology within a Heideggerian
framework. Insofar as it holds sway as the essence of modern technology, Ge-stell (enframing) blocks the appearance
of water as water. Instead, like most other natural resources, water appears as the resource that is extracted,
manipulated, and made readily available for universal distribution and instant consumption, but detached from its
origin in earth and sky. A disruption in the handiness of water, however, such as is occasioned by water shortage or
massive fooding, ofers the possibility of inviting human beings to recover their primordial relationship with water,
as that on which their life depends and one that they cannot partake of in a sustainable way without a truthful and
simple awareness of its origin.
Keywords
disconnectedness, distance, ecology, nearness, techn and poisis
About the author
Remmon E. Barbaza is Associate Professor in Philosophy at the Ateneo de Manila University. He earned a PhD in
Philosophy from the Hochschulefr Philosophie-Mnchen in Germany under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Gerd
Haefner, S.J. His dissertation Heidegger and a New Possibility of Dwelling was published in 2003 (Frankfurt: Peter
Lang). His essay There Where Nothing Happens: The Poetry of Space in Heidegger and Arellano appears as a
chapter in Heidegger and the Earth: Essays in Environmental Philosophy (U of Toronto P, 2009). His research interests
include Heidegger, technology, language, environment, and translation. He is currently working on a translation of
Heidegger texts into Filipino.
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y |uxlaosing lhese lvo exeriences of lhe same river, Heidegger vishes lo concreleIy
iIIuslrale hov lechnoIogy vhich, in ils essence, is a vay of reveaIing, can delermine lhe vay a
lhing can aear, and lherefore be exerienced (Tnc Qucsiicn 12).

ecause lhe vay of reveaIing
lhal hoIds svay in modern lechnoIogy is no Ionger oelic as il is in lhe rimordiaI exerience
and underslanding of lechnoIogy, bul nov is ralher characlerized by a forcefuI and oflenlimes
aggressive chaIIenging forlh lhal sub|ecls nalure lo an unreasonabIe demand for rav maleriaIs
lhal are exlracled, slockiIed, and made lo sland for universaI and inslanl avaiIabiIilyvhal
Heidegger names as Gc-sic||, or enframinglhe river aears and is lhus exerienced dierenlIy in
lhe age of modern lechnoIogy (Tnc Qucsiicn 16-19).
In lhis essay I ask hov in generaI valer aears in lhe age of modern lechnoIogy vilhin
lhe framevork of Heideggerian henomenoIogy. In so doing ve couId lake iniliaI sles lovards a
henomenoIogy of valer, somelhing lhal has lo be vorked oul more carefuIIy and vhose scoe is
cerlainIy beyond lhe inlenl of lhe resenl aer. ul lvo lhings need lo be cIarihed al lhe oulsel,
modern lechnoIogy and Heideggerian henomenoIogy.
We aIready sav above hov Heidegger sees modern lechnoIogy as fundamenlaIIy dislincl
from rimordiaI lechnoIogy, bul ve need sucienl cIarily aboul lhis cIaim insofar as il reresenls
a key resuosilion of lhis essay. In queslioning lhe essence of lechnoIogy, Heidegger direcls our
auenlion avay from lhe mereIy inslrumenlaI and anlhrooIogicaI inlerrelalion lhal Iimils lhe
underslanding of lechnoIogy lo ils being an inslrumenl and ils beIonging lo human aclivily. He
cIaims lhal if ve venl beyond lhis mereIy correcl (versus lrue) inlerrelalion of lechnoIogy, ve
vouId inevilabIy see lhal lechnoIogy beIonged lo lhe reaIm of reveaIing, lhal is, lo lhe reaIm of
lrulh. And insofar as lechnoIogy, rimordiaIIy underslood, beIongs lo lhe reaIm of reveaIing, il is
*-!$ *) )2& !*#& ).#& ,$&).4 8)2"! ,$.%).%1 )$ )2& ,+.#$+'.*- +&-*).$% 5&)6&&% iccnnc *%' pcicsis).
Nov, vhiIe modern lechnoIogy (insofar as il is sliII lechnoIogy) is aIso a vay of reveaIing, il
is a fundamenlaIIy dierenl vay of reveaIing because lhe reveaIing lhal haens in il is no Ionger
oelic bul ralher, as ve sav above, more of a chaIIenging forlh nol onIy of lhe naluraI resources
bul even more so of human beings lhemseIves. UnIess ve see lhis fundamenlaI and essenliaI
dierence belveen modern lechnoIogy and rimordiaI lechnoIogy, ve are more IikeIy lo see lhe
dierence belveen lhe lvo mereIy in lerms of advancemenl in deveIomenl and sohislicalion, so
lhal ve say lhal lhe former is high-lech and lhe Iauer rimilive. Thus ve viII aIso faiI lo see hov,
for examIe, in lhe age of modern lechnoIogy, lhe earlh nov is reveaIed as a coaI mining dislricl
or eIse one huge gas slalion.
Nov Iel us lurn lo Heidegger's henomenoIogy. In Bcing an! Tinc/ *7)&+ * 4*+&7"- 2.!)$+.4$;
elymoIogicaI anaIysis of lhe vord henomenoIogy, Heidegger hnaIIy rooses a meaning:
Hence henomenoIogy means: apcpnaincsinai ia pnaincncna<)$ -&) 62*) !2$6! .)!&-7 5& !&&% 7+$#
ilseIf, |usl as il shovs ilseIf from ilseIf (30).
=
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Lel us dveII for a momenl on lhis uniqueIy Heideggerian underslanding of
henomenoIogy. One lhing lhal mighl readiIy slrike lhe reader is lhal henomenoIogy, as
Heidegger sees il, is nol an inleIIecluaI aclivily, al Ieasl nol rimariIy. There is nol a singIe vord in
lhe dehnilion lhal comes anyvhere cIose lo lhinking. Il is, ralher, rimariIy an acl of !"#$%&. One
mighl ask: Through vhich human facuIly is lhe acl of Ieuing accomIished` Ierhas, as ve shaII
see Ialer, lhe acl of Ieuing is nol accomIished simIy by a human facuIly, bul ralher by lhe human
being as a vhoIe.
A second lhing ve reaIize from Heidegger's underslanding of henomenoIogy is lhal vhal
is Iel in lhe acl of Ieuing is lhe evenl of sccinghenomenoIogy is a !"#$%&'("')""% of somelhing.
Neilher lhe acl of Ieuing nor lhe evenl of seeing is rimariIy associaled vilh lhinking, aIlhough
seeing is indeed al limes equaled vilh underslanding (bul is nonelheIess nol enlireIy lhe same
as lhinking). I say here lhe evenl of seeing ralher lhan lhe acl of seeing in order lo indicale
lhal Ieuing somelhing be seen is nol exaclIy lhe same as seeing somelhing. The Iauer imIies
human agency in seeing, vhereas lhe former, by oinling lo an evenl ralher lhan an acl, oinls lo
somelhing lhal is beyond human agency.
IinaIIy, ve nole from lhe same assage lhal lhe vord ilseIf aears hve limes. Thal lhis
vord aears hve limes (even six, if ve incIude ils rool il) in a singIe senlence is indeed quile
slriking. ul lhe vord aears lhere hve or six limes nol simIy because Heidegger emIoys a
Iilerary device for emhasis, bul because his very underslanding of henomenoIogy ilseIf requires
il so. Il leIIs us nol onIy lhal lhe exerience of seeing is an evenl and lherefore is nol accomIished
rimariIy lhrough human agency, as ve have seen above. Il aIso leIIs us lhal il is lhe lhing ilseIf
under consideralion lhal leIIs us hov il is lo be seen. We do nol shov lhe lhing. The lhing ilseIf
shovs ilseIf, and shovs ilseIf in lhe manner lhal il does from ilseIf. Whal henomenoIogy asks us lo
do is simIy ic |ci inis sc|j-sncuing nappcn, and lhus lo Iel lhe lhing be seen.
Having nov seen in broad slrokes vhal Heidegger means by henomenoIogy, ve are nov
in a osilion lo vork oul a henomenoIogy of valer. A henomenoIogy of valer, lhus, vouId
mean Ieuing valer be seen from ilseIf, |usl as valer shovs ilseIf from ilseIf. Waler is a henomenon
insofar as il shovs ilseIf. ul il musl be aIIoved lo shov ilseIf, |usl as il shovs ilseIf from ilseIf.
Whal ve are concerned here is lherefore nol |usl lhe shoving ilseIf of valer, bul lhe shoving ilseIf
of valer |usl as il shovs ilseIf from ilseIf.
Hov does valer shov ilseIf and from ilseIf` We musl hrsl recaII from Bcing an! Tinc )2*) 7$+
lhe mosl arl of our Iives anylhing al aII aears vilhin lhe conlexl of everyday human exislence
vilh aII lhe lhings ve reoccuy ourseIves vilh and lhe usefuI lhings ve lake hoId of and emIoy
lo meel our needs, lo accomIish lasks, and lo achieve ob|eclive goaIs. We are aIvays aIready in a
vorId (vhich means a horizon of meaning, a conlexl or veb of references), and ve aIvays aIready
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knov our vay aboul our daiIy Iives. Waler, Iike lhe olher lhings ve use in our daiIy Iives, aears
lo us as handy, made readiIy avaiIabIe by lhe faucel in our kilchen or lhe shover in our balhroom.
We do nol reaIIy ay auenlion lo valer, vhich is onIy in keeing vilh lhe being of usefuI lhings
as lhey recede inlo lhe background and remain inconsicuous for lhe mosl arl. As Heidegger
observes, vhal is ecuIiar lo vhal is iniliaIIy al hand is lhal il vilhdravs, so lo seak, in ils
characler of handiness in order lo be reaIIy handy (Bcing an! Tinc 65).
>") "!&7"- )2.%1! 4*% !$#&).#&! +.!& $") $7 )2&.+ .%4$%!,.4"$"!%&!! *%' #*0& )2&#!&-?&!
resenl before us, as haens vhen lhey maIfunclion, break dovn, run oul, or gel Iosl. When
ve discover ils unusabiIily, Heidegger says, lhe lhing becomes consicuous (Bcing an! Tinc
68). Whal is iniliaIIy and for lhe mosl arl ready-lo-hand (zunan!cn:/ 7$+ )2& #$#&%) 5&4$#&!
,+&!&%);*);2*%' 8tcrnan!cn).
@
A breakdovn of a looI or a iece of equimenl can cause an
inlerrulion lo lhe everyday and famiIiar characler of our human exislence. We slrive lo bring our
Iives back lo normaIcy by bringing back our lhings lo lheir normaI, usefuI slale. And lhen ve are
back lo our famiIiar, everyday vorId. Iure ob|eclive resence, noles Heidegger, makes ilseIf
knovn in lhe usefuI lhing onIy lo vilhdrav again inlo lhe handiness of vhal is laken care of, lhal
is, of vhal is being ul back inlo reair (Bcing an! Tinc 68).
Inlerrulions lo lhe normaI ov of our daiIy exislence are nol aIvays onIy negalive. They
4*% *-!$ 5&4$#& $,,$+)"%.).&! 7$+ "! )$ )*0& * !&4$%' -$$0 *) $"+ -.?&! *%' 2$6 6& !)*%' .% +&-*).$%
lo lhe lhings lhal have broken dovn or been removed from us. We recaII hov in Chinese Ianguage
lhe vord for crisis denoles bolh danger and oorlunily.
In recenl years, lhree evenls inlerruled lhe daiIy Iives of IiIiinos in reIalion lo valer. The
hrsl vas lhe massive ooding in Selember 2009, vhich submerged aboul 80 ercenl of Melro
ManiIa afler a monlh-Iong vorlh of rain oured dovn in |usl nine hours al lhe heighl of lyhoon
Kelsana (IocaIIy knovn as Ondoy), kiIIing hundreds of eoIe and deslroying lheir roerly.
The second vas lhe valer crisis lhal hil lhe megacily in }uIy 2010, aecling more lhan a miIIion
residenls as lhe valer suIy vas cul in severaI areas because lhe valer IeveI in Angal Dam had
gone vay beIov lhe crilicaI oinl and lhere vas no sighl of rains coming lo reslore il lo normaI
IeveI. Mosl recenlIy, in December 2011, lroicaI slorm Washi (IocaIIy knovn as Sendong) unIeashed
oods lhal caused massive deslruclion in norlhern Mindanao.
When, in our concrele exerience of overabundance and scarcily of valer in lhe IhiIiines,
arlicuIarIy in lhe megacily lhal is Melro ManiIa, valer aears as somelhing lhal on lhe one hand
overvheIms us and on lhe olher eIudes us, ve can say lhal valer nov can begin lo aear lo us on
ils ovn lerms. Waler nov can aear lo us in a vay lhal makes us reaIize lhal ve do nol reaIIy have
maslery over il desile aII our lechnoIogies of ils calure, slorage, and dislribulion.
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>&4*"!& $7 6*)&+ 4*-*#.).&! *%' 6*)&+ !2$+)*1&/ 6*)&+ .! %$6 4$#.%1 $") $7 .)!
inconsicuousness and begins lo make us queslion lhe vay ve sland in reIalion lo il. One of lhe
more concrele oulcomes of lhe recenl valer crisis in Melro ManiIa, for examIe, is lhe reaIizalion of
our ignorance even aboul lhe more basic facls aboul valer. Il vouId nol be surrising lo hnd oul,
for examIe, lhal mosl of lhe residenls in Melro ManiIa did nol reaIize lhal lhe valer lhal came oul
of lheir faucels had lo lraveI a Iong vay before reaching lheir kilchens and balhrooms. Angal Dam,
vhich meels 97% of Melro ManiIa's valer demand and CenlraI Luzon's irrigalion needs, is aboul
60 kiIomelers norlheasl of lhe megacily (Reyes-Islroe).
Whal does il mean, concreleIy for our human exislence, if ve are virluaIIy obIivious lo lhe
source of our valer` Whal does il mean, concreleIy for our human exislence, if valer aears lo us
as somelhing readiIy avaiIabIe and can be accessed in an inslanl by lhe mere lurning of a faucel or
lhe urchase of bouIed mineraI valer`
Nov lhal lhe valer crisis has made il ossibIe for me lo become avare, al lhe very Ieasl, lhal
lhe valer lhal comes lo me lhrough lhe faucel has lraveIed some 60 kiIomelers, I become avare lhal
)2.! )2.%1 6.)2$") 62.42 A 4$"-' %$) -.?& .! !$#&)2.%1 )2*) .! !$"+4&' 7+$# 3".)& * '.!)*%4& 7+$#
vhere I Iive, from vhere I Iead my human exislence. I become avare lhal modern lechnoIogy has
made il ossibIe for us lo render valer readiIy avaiIabIe in our very ovn homes, even if ils source is
60 kiIomelers avay.
ul in bridging lhis dislance of 60 kiIomelers, has nol modern lechnoIogy aIso removed my
conneclion lo my immediale surrounding, nameIy lhe very iece of Iand on vhich I Iive and from
vhich olhervise I vouId erhas be draving valer by vay of a hand um, a veII, or a sring`
Ierhas somelhing eIse is haening in a valer syslem vhere valer is made lo lraveI lhrough
severaI kiIomelers, from dams and valer reservoirs, lhrough hIlralion Ianls and underground
ies, and hnaIIy lo lhe faucel in my home. The negalion of lhe dislance of 60 kiIomelers does
nol bring me lo lhe nearness of valer. Thal valer comes oul readiIy lhrough lhe faucel in my
ovn home does nol make me exerience lhe dislance lhal il has lraveIed from ils source in Angal
Dam, nor does il make me exerience ils nearness righl in my ovn home. In lhe age of modern
lechnoIogy lhal made ossibIe lhe conslruclion of Iarge dams and valer and sevage syslems, valer
is neilher near nor far.
9
In a Ieclure lhal he vrole al around lhe same eriod as lhe one on lechnoIogy, The Thing,
Heidegger reciseIy seaks of hov, in lhe modern lechnoIogicaI age, lhe aboIilion of dislance does
%$) 5+.%1 *5$") %&*+%&!! 8Pccirq 106). Modern lechnoIogy's abiIily lo bridge dislancesvhelher by
vay of lransorlalion or communicaliondoes nol bring aboul nearness. Heidegger's queslions
are as rohelic and urgenl as vhen lhey vere hrsl uuered more lhan haIf a cenlury ago: Whal is
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haening here vhen, as a resuIl of lhe aboIilion of greal dislances, everylhing is equaIIy far and
equaIIy near` Whal is lhis uniformily in vhich everylhing is neilher far nor nearis, as il vere,
vilhoul dislance` (Pccirq =BB:
Modern lechnoIogy, as a arlicuIar vay of reveaIing, brings aboul disconnecledness.
Human beings are disconnecled from lheir immediale environmenl, and lheir erceived lechnicaI
maslery over nalure onIy roves lo be an iIIusion. Ior inslance, I knov lhal al any lime ve run oul
of valer, al any lime valer ceases lo ov lhrough our faucels (for one, lhe Angal dam is said lo
be siuing on a fauIl Iine), I couId no Ionger Iead my Iife lhe usuaI vay. And since lhere is no veII
or sring, nol even a hand um, anyvhere vilhin my neighborhood, a comIele shuldovn of
lhe valer suIy vouId force me lo move lo anolher Iace vhere lhere is valer. Maua|an ka na ng
*+,-"%."/ 1+23& !3%& .+($&, as ve say in IiIiino. euer lo be vilhoul eIeclricily lhan vilhoul valer.
Disconnecledness, lhe Ioss of nearness, and lhe iIIusion of lechnicaI maslery over nalure
are aIso reveaIed in our Ioss of basic survivaI inslincls, as McWhorler and Slenslad reecl in lheir
diaIogue, Ialing |rcignis, or: Conversalion on a Suburban Lavn. McWhorler recaIIs:
One day in lhe Iale sring of 2005, I found myseIf slanding al lhe edge of a universily
quadrangIe on a beaulifuI aflernoon. The scene before me vas rediclabIe, al Ieasl for
anybody vho has ever been on a universily quad on a beaulifuI aflernoon. Sunbalhing
undergraduales Iaughed and laIked, munching snacks from nearby vending
machines, squirreIs darled lo and fro foraging for acorns, busy birds ecked al fal red
vorms. I had vilnessed lhe same scene hundreds of limes, bul for some reason lhal
day il raised a lhoughl in me lhal hil me Iike a Iighlning boIl: ve don'l knov lhe hrsl
lhing aboul dveIIing . In conlrasl lo lhe birds and lhe squirreIs, ve modern-day
humans don'l knov lhe hrsl lhing aboul dveIIing. Nol even lhe hrsl lhing. I found
lhal lhoughl slaggering and humbIing. And frighlening. Nol onIy is lhe food lhal
mosl of us eal nol a roducl of lhe Iand ve occuylhe undergraduales' snack food
vas lrucked in from hundreds, maybe lhousands of miIes avaybul ve have no idea
vhich roducls of lhe Iand ve occuy are edibIe. If lhe lrucks sloed coming, mosl
of us vouId slarve. (215)
Wilhin lhe enframed age of modern lechnoIogy, valer, Iike mosl olher lhings, aears as a
resource, a lerm vhich is nol aIlogelher neulraI given lhe comuIsion lo forcibIy exlracl naluraI
resources from lhe earlh. The ensuing ob|eclihcalion and commodihcalion of valer aIready
resuoses lhe severance of our rimordiaI reIalionshi vilh somelhing lhal nol onIy suslains
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our Iife bul aIso accomanies us lhrough lhe many asecls of our exislence, as vhen ve use valer
in reIigious riluaIs such as balism or house bIessing, or vhen ve scauer lhe ashen remains of our
Ioved ones inlo lhe oen sea.
This severance of reIalionshi, and lhereby lhe disaearance of lhe nearness of valer
lo our Iives, can aIso be seen in lhe vay valer can aear as somelhing aIien. In his anaIysis of
cuIluraI lheory and lyes of valer, GyavaIi iIIuslrales hov valer can aear as a 'mirage' in ads,
eseciaIIy among lhe oor vho have resigned lhemseIves lo fale, as resources such as valer are
nol |uslIy dislribuled bul handed oul as if in a Iouery, or hov, eseciaIIy among lhose vho lend
lovards individuaIism and resuose an abundance ralher lhan scarcily of valer, valer aears
in lhe form of riced, gIamorized 'bouIed valer' (20).
ul a crisis can serve lo |oIl us oul of our iIIusions, as vhen valer suddenIy runs oul
or vhen oodvalers come rushing in lhe middIe of lhe nighl. The valer crisis can become an
$44*!.$% 7$+ "! )$ .#*1.%& 62*) .) 4$"-' 5& .7 6& +*% $") $7 6*)&+ *%'/ )2"!/ .% 5&4$#.%1 *6*+&
of il, Iel valer aear on ils ovn lerms. IcoIogicaI lhinking, says Iesmire, is fundamenlaIIy
imaginalive, as he caIIs for lhe cuIlivalion of ecoIogicaI imaginalion (183). The acl of imagining
can be said lo be arl of Ieuing-be, for Ieuing somelhing be seen can aIso mean imagining hov
lhal lhing can manifesl ilseIf before us on ils ovn lerms. When, for inslance, one hnds oneseIf in
a silualion of in|uslice, and rays lhal lhere be |uslice (Lel lhere be |uslice), one is imagining a
ossibiIily, bul a ossibiIily lhal reaIIy beIongs lo lhe essence of lhe very lhing hoed for.
And so vhen, in lhe midsl of lhe ob|eclihcalion and commodihcalion of valer, ve come lo
a reaIizalion of lhe need lo hrsl of aII Iel valer be, lo Iel valer shov ilseIf on ils ovn lerms, lhen ve
are doing in raclicaI lerms a henomenoIogy of valer. This can be accomIished nol |usl by vay of
an acluaI hiIosohicaI, henomenoIogicaI reeclion or anaIysis, bul mosl of aII by vay of oelry,
lhrough vhich aIone nearness can come lo be.
We recaII hov Heidegger, by vay of a oem by Iriedrich HIderIin, in lhe end oinls
lo oelry (or arl, since lhe oelicaI lhoroughIy ervades every arl) as hoIding vilhin il lhe
saving over lhal can heI human beings rediscover lheir bearings even as lhey hnd lhemseIves
sliII under lhe svay of modern lechnoIogy (Tnc Qucsiicn 34-35). SaIvalion cannol be viIIed
in any case. Neilher can or shouId human beings viII lo Iive vilhoul lechnoIogyfor lhal is
%&.)2&+ ,$!!.5-& %$+ '&!.+*5-& *%'/ &?&% #$+&/ * 7"%'*#&%)*- #.!"%'&+!)*%'.%1 $7 )2& &!!&%4&
of lechnoIogy (Oisccursc 43-54). Insofar as lhe cIose reIalion belveen iccnnc *%' pcicsis )2*)
rimordiaI lechnoIogy reserves is undone in lhe age of modern lechnoIogy, ve can indeed see lhal
saIvalion Iies in oelry.
In vhal vay does saIvalion Iie in oelry` Where modern lechnoIogy aboIishes aII dislances,
as ve sav earIier, oelry reserves lhe nearness of lhings. And since lo dveII is lo slay in lhe
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%&*+%&!! $7 )2.%1!/ )2&% .) .! )2+$"12 )2& ,$&).4 *-$%& )2*) 6& 4*% '6&-- $% &*+)2<6.)2 .)! 6*)&+
and air, lrees and animaIs, vilh lhe changes of ils seasons. If ve lhen lry lo imagine valer as
!2$6.%1 .)!&-7 $% .)! $6% )&+#!/ .7 6& -&) 6*)&+ 5& !&&% *! .) !2$6! .)!&-7/ )2&% .) 6.-- 2*?& )$ #&*%
lhe recovery of lhe nearness of valer.
ul vhal is nearness` This is of course one of lhe cenlraI queslions of lhe Ieclure, The
Thing, and ve do nol vish lo go al Ienglh inlo hov Heidegger aroached il. Il vouId suce here
lo say lhal nearnessrimordiaI nearness, lhal isis nol lo be underslood here as lhe ob|eclive
dislance belveen lvo oinls. As one can derive from lhe lhoughls of Heidegger, in science slriclIy
seaking lhere is no such lhing as near or far. Ralher, lhe rimordiaI nearness in vhich ve aII dveII
makes ossibIe lhe near and lhe far, |usl as rimordiaI sace makes ossibIe dierenl senses
and IeveIs of saces, Iocalions, rooms, elc., because Da-sein is saliaI in a rimordiaI sense
8Bcing an! Tinc 103, Pccirq 154-57).
We knov lhal lhe hislory of civiIizalion is aIvays cIoseIy lied vilh valer. NearIy every
greal cily vas eslabIished near rivers or by lhe sea. And in any case human Iife is nol ossibIe in
Iaces vhere lhere is no freshvaler or no ossibiIily of accessing il from a neighboring Iace. This
2.!)$+.4*- 7*4) *-$%&<)2*) 6& 5".-' $"+ -.?&! *+$"%' 6*)&+<#*%.7&!)! $"+ '&,&%'&%4& *! 2"#*%
beings and communilies on valer, arlicuIarIy freshvaler. ul il seemed lhal ve have reversed
lhis reIalion of deendence, making valer ad|usl lo our Iives and ro|ecls and ambilions, as vhen
+&!.'&%).*- 4$##"%.).&! 5".-) $% 6*)&+!2&'! $+ 2"1& '*#! &+&4)&' $% +.?&+! 7$+4& 6*)&+ )$ +&'.+&4)
ilseIf as il seeks ils ovn IeveI, and many limes vilh deadIy reercussions.
Ierhas lhere is indeed some lrulh in lhe saying lhal nalure does nol knov calaslrohes,
and lhal valer aIvays seeks ils ovn IeveI. ul erhas lhere is aIso lrulh in lhe inluilion lhal nalure
.)!&-7 2*! .)! $6% 6.!'$# )2*) 6& 2"#*% 5&.%1! #"!) *--$6 )$ #*0& .)!&-7 #*%.7&!)/ *%' 7+$#
vhich human beings musl Iearn, so lhal in Ieuing valer hnd ils ovn IeveI according lo lhe designs
of nalure, ve can aIso begin lo IeveI ourseIves vilh valer, vilh nalure as a vhoIe, in a vay lhal
reecls lhe deIicale baIance of our reIalionshi vilh aII beings as a vhoIe.
The valer crisis lhal is aecling more and more arls of lhe vorId is bringing logelher
scienlihc exerls, governmenl ociaIs, NGO vorkers, academics, and ordinary cilizens in lheir
desire lo address our common issues concerning valer. The IeveIs of resonses range from lhe
raclicaI and lechnicaI, lo lhe elhicaI and lheorelicaI. ul overaII lhe resonse is generaIIy framed
as a queslion of beuer valer managemenl and governance. We vanl lo manage and govern valer
veII.
This redominanlIy manageriaI and lechnicaI aroach lo valer, hovever, shouId give us
ause. McWhorler oers an incisive crilique of lhe manageriaI aroach lhal dominales Weslern
cuIlure, asking vhelher our rimariIy manageriaI aroach lo environmenl lhrough lhe use of
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modern science and lechnoIogy couId very veII be |usl a managemenl of our guiIl (vhich is |usl lhe
olher side of cIaiming success or sueriorily over nalure) (GuiIl as Managemenl TechnoIogy).
rovn and Schmidl, for lheir arl, cIaim lhal one of lhe hrsl lhings ve need lo do is lo
crilicaIIy evaIuale ideas in lhe broader Weslern narralive lhal have lended lo riviIege human
veIfare, scienlihc knovIedge, and lechnoIogicaI knov-hov, and lhereby lo recognize lhal aII
knovIedge is arliaI and Iimiled and, hnaIIy, suggesl lhal ve lake lhe slance of vhal lhey caII
comassionale relreal (265-66). Relrealing, or laking a sle back, as oosed lo lhe aggressive
slance of conlroI and managemenl, is reciseIy vhal is caIIed for by lhe disosilion of Ieuing, of
Ieuing-be and Ieuing-be-seen.
To a Iarge exlenl of course lhe goaIs of beuer valer managemenl and governance are
necessary and lhe eorls made lovards il IaudabIe. ul ve mighl do veII lo make room for lhe
queslion vhelher an aroach lhal is rimariIy manageriaI and lechnicaI is enough lo make us
+&*-.C& )2& 0.%' $7 !)*%4& 6& %&&' )$ *'$,) .% +&-*).$% )$ 6*)&+/ $+ )$ 0%$6 62&)2&+ 6& %&&' )$
reslore a rimordiaI reIalionshi vilh valer lhal ve Iosl in lhe midsl of modern lechnoIogy. As
Heidegger says, unIess man hrsl eslabIishes himseIf beforehand in lhe sace roer lo his essence
and lhere lakes u his dveIIing, he viII nol be caabIe of anylhing essenliaI vilhin lhe deslining
nov hoIding svay (Tnc Qucsiicn 39). Ior a rimariIy manageriaI or lechnicaI aroach lo our
valer issues does nol reaIIy bring us lo lhal sace roer lo our essence, vhere ve mighl be
abIe lo lake u our dveIIing, nor does il make il ossibIe for us lo lake lhe slance of Ieuing lhal
henomenoIogy reaIIy is.
Such a slance of Ieuing is erhas lhe hardesl lo lake, bul il is lhe onIy one lhal can make il
ossibIe for valer lo shov ilseIf as ve reslrain ourseIves from foiIing il al every lurn as il, Iike us,
seeks ils vay back home.
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NOTES
1. The originaI runs: IhnomenoIogie sagl dann: Das vas sich zeigl, so vie es sich von ihm seIbsl her
zeigl, von ihm seIbsl her sehen Iassen (Heidegger, Scin un! Zcii 34).
2. Zunchsl und zumeisl. This is a lechnicaI exression lhal Heidegger emIoys lhrougoul Bcing an!
Tinc. Il indicales lhe re-hiIosohicaI, re-scienlihc, re-onloIogicaI exerience lhal makes u human
exislence for lhe mosl arl. I beIieve il is Heidegger's olher vay of saying everyday.
3. One can of course ob|ecl here by saying lhal aqueducls exisled in anliquily, and hov, for examIe, lhe
famous Roman aqueducls covered a combined dislance of aboul 500 kiIomelers. ul ve are nol lo undersland
lhe age of modern lechnoIogy hisloriograhicaIIy, in lhe same vay as ve undersland lhe age of iron, or
lhe age of reason, vhich can somehov be daled. Moreover, vhen Heidegger cIaims lhal enframing hoIds
svay in lhe age of modern lechnoIogy, il shouId nol be laken lo mean as recIuding ockels of freedom and
oelic exerience. More imorlanl, ve musl nol undersland sace and dislance in lerms of measurabIe
dimensions, for nearness in Heidegger has lo be underslood in ils rimordiaI sense. The admislralors,
managers, and engineers of a Iarge dam, for examIe, can be lhe ones hysicaIIy cIosesl lo lhe source of
valer, and yel by lheir very slance of ob|eclihcalion and commodicalion are farlhesl removed from valer.
One can aIso be engaged in lhe humanilies and leach oelry or Iileralure, or vork in an arl museum, and sliII
be redominanlIy caIcuIaling and ob|eclifying in one's reIalionshi vilh lhings in generaI.
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