Abstract

Heidegger's many observations about the philosophical thought of the Middle Ages, while often controversial, are deserving of attention. One of the lesser-known of these observations reflects his interest in hermetic philosophy, as found in his posthumously published treatise Die Negativität, a critical engagement with Hegel with regard to the nature and ontological status of negation. Therein, Heidegger associates the acpoupa of Parmenides with the sphaera intelligibi-lis of Hermes Trismegistus and the absolute Idee of Hegel and therewith Plato's doctrine of the ideas in its absolute-idealist modification. Heidegger weaves these various strands of the tradition into a web of manifold significations representative of different yet related philosophical intentions.