Heidegger’s Interpretation of the Experimental Character of Modern Science

Abstract

While showing the mathéma-character of modern science, Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) sharpens his analysis of its essence by interpreting the key part of its method, which he claims to consist of the “hypothesis-experiment complex”. In Heidegger’s interpretation, the experimental feature of modern science means the former metaphysical act of logical prescription for the general understanding of the meaning of “being”. Thus, Heidegger analyses the fourfold concept of “experience”, which distinguishes the modern science from all the older conceptions of “science”. Nevertheless, all what Heidegger ultimately tries to achieve, is to gain a clear insight into the essence of the temporal character of “being”.