Yes, it is accurate to say that during the Zollikon Seminars (1959-1969), Martin Heidegger shared and discussed his "later" thought with Medard Boss and his associates. Heidegger's later philosophy, often distinguished from his earlier work epitomized by "Being and Time" (1927), focuses more on language, technology, and the nature of Being as it reveals itself through events and historical contexts. Here are the key aspects of his later thought that likely influenced the discussions at the Zollikon Seminars:
1. **Language as the House of Being**:
- **Language and Disclosure**: In his later work, Heidegger emphasizes that language is the primary medium through which Being is disclosed. This idea was crucial in the seminars, where understanding patients' experiences involved attending to how they express their being-in-the-world through language.
- **Poetic Thinking**: Heidegger’s turn to poetic thinking reflects his belief that poetry and art can reveal truths about existence that ordinary language and scientific discourse cannot.
2. **Technology and Modernity**:
- **Critique of Technology**: Heidegger’s critique of technology, particularly in "The Question Concerning Technology," was relevant to the discussions on modern medical practices. He argued that technology enframes (Gestell) the world, reducing beings to mere resources, and this perspective would influence his views on medical and psychiatric practices.
- **The Essence of Technology**: Heidegger’s exploration of the essence of technology and its impact on human existence likely informed the seminars’ critique of the reductionist and mechanistic approaches prevalent in psychiatry.
3. **The Turn (Kehre)**:
- **Shift in Focus**: The "turn" (Kehre) in Heidegger’s thought marks a shift from a focus on the existential analysis of Dasein to a broader inquiry into the history of Being. This shift is evident in his discussions during the seminars, where the focus expanded to include the historical and cultural contexts that shape human existence.
- **Historical Unfolding of Being**: Heidegger’s later thought involves the idea that Being unfolds historically, and understanding this unfolding is crucial for grasping the nature of human existence.
4. **Being and Time Revisited**:
- **Reinterpreting Fundamental Concepts**: Heidegger revisits and reinterprets many concepts from "Being and Time" in his later work. Concepts like Being-in-the-world and temporality are deepened and expanded, which would have been central to the seminars’ discussions on the lived experiences of patients.
5. **Ereignis (The Event of Appropriation)**:
- **Event of Appropriation**: The concept of Ereignis, or the event of appropriation, is central to Heidegger’s later philosophy. It refers to the way in which Being and human existence come into their own through mutual appropriation. This idea would influence the understanding of therapeutic encounters as events where deeper truths about a person’s existence could be revealed.
6. **Phenomenology and Hermeneutics**:
- **Hermeneutic Phenomenology**: Heidegger’s later work places greater emphasis on hermeneutics, the art and science of interpretation. This approach was crucial in the seminars, as it guided the understanding of patients’ narratives and experiences in a more interpretive and less analytical manner.
In summary, during the Zollikon Seminars, Heidegger indeed shared his later thought with Medard Boss and his associates. This included his emphasis on language, his critique of technology, his exploration of the historical unfolding of Being, and his concept of Ereignis. These elements of Heidegger's later philosophy deeply influenced the discussions and the development of a phenomenological approach to psychiatry, as embodied in Boss’s Daseinsanalysis.
