Martin Heidegger's Mathematical Dialectic: Uncovering the Structure of Modernity

Martin Heidegger is generally regarded as one of the most significant—if also the most controversial—philosophers of the 20th century. Most scholarly engagement with Heidegger’s thought on Modernity approaches his work with a special focus on either his critique of technology, or on his more general critique of subjectivity. This dissertation project attempts to elucidate Martin Heidegger’s diagnosis of modernity, and, by extension, his thought as a whole, from the neglected standpoint of his understanding of mathematics, which he explicitly identifies as the essence of modernity.

Accordingly, our project attempts to work through the development of Modernity, as Heidegger understands it, on the basis of what we call a “mathematical dialectic.“ The basis of our analysis is that Heidegger’s understanding of Modernity, both on its own terms and in the context of his theory of history [Seinsgeschichte], is best understood in terms of the interaction between two essential, “mathematical” characteristics, namely, self-grounding and homogeneity. This project first investigates the mathematical qualities of these components of Modernity individually, and then attempts to trace the historical and philosophical development of Modernity on the basis of the interaction between these two components—an interaction that is, we argue, itself regulated by the structure of the mathematical, according to Heidegger’s understanding of the term.

The project undertaken here intends not only to serve as an interpretive, scholarly function of elucidating Heidegger’s understanding of Modernity, but also to advance the larger aim of defending the prescience, structural coherence, and relevance of Heidegger’s diagnosis of Modernity as such.

Global Value Chain Analysis: A Primer, 2nd Edition

The first edition of Global Value Chain Analysis: A Primer was released five years ago (May 2011) in order to provide an overview of the key concepts and methodological tools used by Duke University’s Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (Duke CGGC) a university-based research center that focuses on innovative applications of the GVC framework, which was developed by Duke CGGC’s founding director, Gary Gereffi. The Second Edition of Global Value Chain Analysis: A Primer (July 2016) retains a simple, expository style and use of recent research examples in order to offer an entry point for those wishing to better understand and use the GVC framework as a tool to analyze how local actors (firms, communities, workers) are linked to and affected by major transformations in the global economy. The GVC framework focuses on structural shifts in global industries, anchored by the core concepts of governance and upgrading. This Second Edition highlights some of the refinements in these concepts, and introduces a number of new illustrations drawing from recent Duke CGGC research. The bibliography offers a sampling of the broad array of studies available on the Duke CGGC website and in related academic publications. We hope this work stimulates continued interest in and use of the GVC framework as a tool to promote more dynamic, inclusive and sustainable development outcomes for all economies and the local actors within them.