Gatherings: The Heidegger Circle Annual,  (): –. Heidegger on Discourse and Idle Talk: The Role of Aristotelian Rhetoric Jesús Adrián Escudero Aristotle plays a fundamental role in the development of Heidegger’s thinking. His ontological radicalization of Aristotle’s practical philoso- phy and his hermeneutic reinterpretation of Husserl’s phenomenology comprise two of the basic pillars that support the complex thematic and methodological framework of the philosophical program of his youth. Interpretations of Aristotle are a recurring theme throughout his university courses in the first half of the twenties and, as Heidegger himself has pointed out in different autobiographical statements, his journey through Aristotelian philosophy ended up being crucial for the development of his own thinking. 1 From his arrival in Freiburg as Husserl’s assistant in January of , Heidegger concentrated on developing a method for accessing the phenomenon of life. At first, he found in Christian religiosity an initial historic paradigm for his project of an original science of life. However, this first attempt did not end up coming together well – perhaps for philosophical reasons or perhaps because of personal differences with Husserl, who had encouraged him to develop a phe- nomenology of religion. 2 Even in May of , Heidegger still consid- ered phenomenology of religious consciousness a central theme of his research. But in the – course, Introduction to Phenomenology of Religion, he was already hinting that “entering into such a complex [of Christian facticity] is almost hopeless” (GA 60: 121 / 87 ). The pos- sibility of carrying out a truly phenomenological analysis of life was brought about with the early rediscovery of Aristotle, exactly as is