There is, for Heidegger, a crucial difference between the historical (geschichtlich) as a happening (das Geschehen) and the historiographical. The latter tends to view history through as lens, often social or political, and seeks to find in history something to confirm its theses (i.e. a Marxist analysis that wants to show that history operates with upheavals). I don’t think Heidegger has a problem with the latter approach, but I also think he views it as slightly un-philosophical since it does not want to let the phenomena of history emerge (what he really means is that it is an un-phenomenological stance but Heidegger tends to conflate the two and many Heideggerians do this as well which would be my own personal gripe). That is the philosopher is not supposed to tell us how historical facts can be marshalled into ideas and put to use, but should be able to tell us (philosopher as phenomenologist) what the essence of history is itself.

¶ 4:27 PM