In order for a work of art to be great, according to Heidegger, at least one of the conditions it must meet is the community condition. While this condition is discussed much less in the literature than the relation of art to truth in Heidegger, it is of more consequence. It is art’s inability to meet the community condition which led Heidegger to conclude that art since the Middle Ages is not great art. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the community condition in Heidegger’s philosophy of art and explain just what the condition is.

Steven Haug is a philosophy Phd student who works primarily on the philosophy of art, especially 20th century German philosophy of art. His most recent project focuses on elucidating the importance of community in Heidegger’s philosophy of art.

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