Heidegger and nature during Sein und Zeit
Heidegger’s interpretation of nature in Sein und Zeit is quite doubtable: In SuZ, Heidegger gives priority to praxis over theory, even so when concerning nature. He states that nature is first of all experienced in its Zuhandenheit (readiness-at-hand). Some examples: A mountain is a quarry, a river is waterpower. He helds other views as secondary: A theoretical approach (the mountain experienced in its Vorhandenheit (presence-at-hand)) a byproduct of the original experience, as well as the aesthetic view of the mountain (maybe like in scenery).
To encounter his view one might give the example of primitive people: They certainly don’t view nature under practical terms at first, rather in a religious way. (if there’s any anthropologist reading this, please forgive me for my blatant reduction). I would thus argue that the experience of nature in an aesthetic, even religious way was one of the very first steps that formed the development of civilization.
But it was Heidegger himself who later realized that this view is inappropriate when he turned to a criticism of technics in his late period, which can also be seen as a criticism of his own views from SuZ.
