By:Constantin Von Hoffmeister
In the philosophical landscape where Alexander Dugin’s Eurasianism intersects with Martin Heidegger’s existentialism, the concept of Dasein becomes a pivotal point of convergence. Heidegger’s Dasein, or “being-there,” encapsulates the essence of the human condition as fundamentally intertwined with the world. This notion rejects the idea of humans as mere detached observers, positing instead that our existence is inextricably linked with our environment, and that our understanding of ourselves and our place in the cosmos is perpetually shaped through this interaction.
Dugin embraces this Heideggerian concept to underpin his theory of Eurasianism and multipolarity. Heidegger’s Dasein is not merely a philosophical concept for Dugin; it becomes a tool to critique and dismantle the Western notion of universalism. Western universalism, in its essence, propounds a singular, homogenized way of life as the ultimate truth, overlooking the diversity and uniqueness of individual cultural experiences. Dugin challenges this, asserting that each culture embodies a unique Dasein, a distinct way of being in the world, which cannot be subsumed under a universalist doctrine.
Multipolarity, in Dugin’s vision, emerges as the natural and necessary state of the world, where each culture expresses and experiences its own Dasein without external impositions. This perspective is not just a geopolitical stance against a unipolar world dominated by a single superpower. It is, more profoundly, a philosophical stance advocating respect and recognition of the existential experiences of different cultures. In a multipolar world, these multifarious ways of being can coexist, interact, and enrich each other, without the threat of being homogenized under a singular worldview.
Dugin’s application of Heidegger’s Dasein to Eurasianism is an invitation to reevaluate our understanding of global relations. It suggests a world where cultural and civilizational identities are not just tolerated but celebrated for their unique contributions to the human experience. In this world, the interaction between different Daseins is not a clash but a dialogue, a mutual exchange that enhances our collective understanding of what it means to be human.