Martin Heidegger's reading of Friedrich Nietzsche did indeed play a significant role in the development of his philosophical thinking, particularly concerning the notion of the "event" or Ereignis. Heidegger's engagement with Nietzsche's thought, especially in the 1930s, was instrumental in shaping his understanding of being and temporality.
Heidegger's interpretation of Nietzsche focused on several key themes, including the will to power, the eternal recurrence, and the notion of overcoming metaphysics. However, it was Nietzsche's idea of eternal recurrence that particularly influenced Heidegger's concept of the event.
For Heidegger, the event (Ereignis) represents a fundamental happening or occurrence that discloses the truth of being and grants significance to beings within the world. Heidegger's understanding of the event is deeply intertwined with his reflections on time, history, and human existence.
In his later works, such as "Contributions to Philosophy" (1936-1938) and "Mindfulness" (1938-1940), Heidegger explores the idea of the event as the unfolding of being in its historical and temporal dimensions. The event is not a mere occurrence in time but rather the very condition of possibility for beings to appear and be meaningful within a world.
While Heidegger's concept of the event cannot be reduced solely to his reading of Nietzsche, Nietzsche's thought certainly provided Heidegger with important insights and inspirations for his own philosophical project. Heidegger's engagement with Nietzsche contributed to his development of a distinctive understanding of temporality and historical existence, which became central to his later philosophy.
