The Ontological Dimension of Violence in the Thought and Practice of Martin Heidegger

This article investigates two levels at which violence is disclosed in Heidegger’s thought and practice: the ontological, as the structure of physis, and the ontic, as concrete administrative practice within the university. In Basic Concepts of Metaphysics (1929–1930), Heidegger introduces Walten as a novel ontological term, originally conceived as an innovative translation of Aristotelian physis, typically rendered as “nature.” Over time, however, Walten becomes interwoven with related terms such as durchwalten and verwalten, expanding its semantic range to include domination, coercion, governance, and administration. In this sense, physis is not simply the sum of entities within the world but the force enabling beings to appear as beings. Walten thus designates a prevailing ontological sway that structures human attunement to Being, most decisively in and through language. This ontological conception finds an ontic correlate in Heidegger’s role as rector of the University of Freiburg, where motifs associated with Walten were enacted within the sphere of academic governance. The article therefore uncovers both the ontological dimension of violence and the problematic manner in which this structure was translated into the institutional and political domain of university administration.