THE ORIGIN IN EXILE: LANGUAGE, TRUTH AND TRANSLATION IN BENJAMIN AND HEIDEGGER

This essay addresses the question of the origin of language, as articulated from the time of Rousseau and Herder, through a comparison between Heidegger and Benjamin's theories of the origin of meaning in a pre-linguistic world. It argues against the common conception according to which the two thinkers represent two very different philosophical trajectories. Instead, it insists on the many similarities between them, both historical, personal, and thematic, not least through their shared interest in the enigmatic writings of Hamann. A central question is whether the meanings communicated by language can be separated from its linguistic expression.