Martin Heidegger

Life and Works:

 Born September 26, 1889 in Messkirch,

 Black Forest Region of BaldenWurtemberg, Germany.
 Parents are both Catholic.
 Received formal philosophical training at the University of Freiburg under Heinrich
Rickert, a neo-Kantian, and Edmund Husserl.
 Heidegger wrote over fifty volumes of work starting 1914 and with a doctoral
 Thesis on the Medieval Philosopher Duns Scotus.
 Lectured at both Freiburg and the University of Marburg, establishing a widespread
reputation from 1915 to 1958.
 Published his magnum opus, Time and Being in 1927.
 Became a member of Nazi Party in 1928.
 By the order of the authorities, suspended from teaching from 1944 to 1951.
 Retired in 1959 and returned to Messkirch.
 Died May 26, 1976 in Messkirch

5 Key Points

1. Man is a being-in-the-world (Dasein)

Dasein is a German word that became famous and used by the philosopher Martin
Heidegger to guide the concept of human existence. In Heidegger's philosophy, Dasein is
not just a person or an abstract entity but refers to how humans exist in the world. Dasein
is characterized by a sense of "being-in-the-world, " meaning that humans are not
separated individuals but profoundly connected to their environment and other beings.

 Every Man is a Dasein that is "always-in-a-there"

 Man has a Context-the significance of viewing the more general context in which
human existence is situated.
 Man has a Circumstance- the idea that human existence is profoundly shaped by
the circumstances in which individuals find themselves.
 Man always has a Time- that human existence is always situated within a
particular historical period. There is also no abstract man and there is no man in
an eternity.
 Man is in a Particular place- the idea that human existence is always within a
particular physical space.
 Man is always thrown.
 Human existence is always within a context beyond one's control or choice. Humans
are "thrown" into existence with a particular history, culture, language, and
possibilities that shape their understanding of the world.
Ex.:
A good example is the Lord Jesus Christ as part of the history of Salvation. His
Incarnation was his “thrown” into the world, starting from Bethlehem, where he was
born as a Jew. Nazareth when he started living with his parents. He traveled through
different places of the Holy Land to start his ministry and Jerusalem, where he died
and was resurrected from the dead to redeem us from the sin that Adam and Eve
inherited, which shaped His understanding of the world. This world needs to be
understood.
 The meaning of Dasein also means "there being"
 Always-in-a-there
 “There being” in which Martin Heidegger emphasizes that human existence is
always situated within a particular context or environment and that this context
shapes how humans understand and make sense of the world. At the same time,
Dasein is characterized by a sense of self-awareness and self-reflection, which
allows humans to understand and interpret their experiences in the context of their
"there."
 Two Movements of being-in-the-world
 We are the only beings that are thinking about "beings and Being"
Heidegger believed that only beings capable of thinking about Being have a
unique relationship to existence and that this ability sets human beings apart from
other beings in the world. We need to explore this concept further by studying
Heidegger's works and engaging in philosophical inquiry to deepen our
understanding of this complex and captivating idea.

But why there is something rather than nothing?

Heidegger does not directly answer why there is something rather than nothing.
His philosophy can be interpreted as emphasizing that human existence involves
an active engagement with the world and that the nature of existence may be
ultimately unanswerable through rational inquiry.

 Our primary be-ing in the world is understanding.

Our fundamental relationship with the world as be-ing is one of understanding.
By "understanding," he did not mean mere intellectual comprehension but a more
profound, pre-reflective mode of engagement with the world we find ourselves.
That is why Man is always trying to understand the world or even if you are not
thinking of something, it is also an understanding of the world.
  Example: Greek Thinkers and Philosophers, how they think about beings and think
the existing of things. They also trying to understand the world which how they think
of something.
 Thales – on Water as the Arche
 Pythagoras – everything is Numbers
 Parminedes – Permanent is the Reality
 Heraclitus – on Fire as the Arche
 Democritus – Everything is composed of atoms
 Socrates – The soul is immortal.
 Plato – Theory of Ideas which he believes in the world of forms.
 Aristotle – The concept of matter and form both physical and non- physical
concept

2. Hermeneutics for Dasein is a Hermeneutics of Facticity

Facticity is a fundamental aspect of human existence that refers to the given or
unchangeable conditions that shape our existence. It is an in-escapable part of human
existence, shaping our possibilities and limitations. However, Heidegger also emphasized
the importance of recognizing and embracing our facticity, as it provides the foundation
for our identity and the basis for our understanding of the world.
 "Facticity" is not necessarily or not completely equivalent with "facts" as we
understand "facts"
 "Facts" for Heidegger are the historicality and throwness that Dasein finds himself
"in". But these always have a tripartite (have many parts) meaning to Granpa H
everything is always a tripartite.

Parts of Facticity(How Dasein is a determining principle of Facticity)

 Historicality - always thrown in a context, not of your doing. It is the determined by
a place, location and the era.
 Example:
Bro. Kenny was born in Bataan at the age of 25. Before entering the Seminary he
was a young professional. Now living in Manila, where Pizza is available
anytime. He wants to eat Pizza after the class of contemporary philosophy class
and after playing basketball during the re-creaction due to his tiredness and being
hungry.
 Temporality- always moving across time. Temporality means a person has a past
present and future. The past, present and future of man always presents his Options
the future that he can go. Given a past, means having a now (present) and a future,
which is unchangeable.
 Example:
 In the present time of Bro. Kenny, due to the calling of God, he left his career and
followed the calling. Living now in Manila at UST Central Seminary to study at
the UST Ecclesiastical Faculties to pursue his dream of becoming a future priest
of his own Diocese in Balanga Bataan or, in God’s will, become a Bishop of a
certain Diocese in the Philippines. He is called upon to choose options that will
impact his future.
 Intentionality- If you are living in a world, you always thinking of something.
 Example:
Anything Bro. Kenny thinks about, has a relation to his past/history, his present
circumstance, or his future. When he thinks about "pizza" it will be in relation to a
potential choice that will satisfy his present hunger, a hunger that is due to his
action in the past attending his contemporary class and played a basketball game.

3. Dasein is an ontologically free being.

 For Heidegger on this example, freedom is the ability to choose an option based on
our given circumstance/facticity and not extra circumstantial choices that is not
possible given the difference in time/space.
 Granting choices are mutually exclusive, freedom is about claiming that one choice
given a limited set. Part of dasein's facticity is not having access to an infinite number
of options.
 Example: Sean/kenny going to mall for example. Choosing mall A over B and C
will yield diff sets of options to choose from again etc
 Kenny is not in an infinite supermarket with infinite products to choose from
 Bro. Kenny is not free to think of an object-in-itself but always in relation to
something else.
 Thinking about things-in-themselves is impossible for dasein given our
historicality and temporality.
 The object of hermeneutics for Heidegger is the human person rather than texts.

4. Authenticity is accepting Dasein as "being-towards-death"

 Authenticity refers to an individual's ability to live following their true self, rather
than conforming to societal norms and expectations. But this authenticity has a
reverse problem, if you are called in the choices of other people or if you are called to
follow what other people think you should do in life that could be a reciprocal of
which is being “inauthentic”
 If dying is inevitable, does it mean that we have no choice or no meaning? “No”
Because there is still a freedom between now and before you die.
 In connection to Albert Camus’ “Life is absurd” on “to be thrown” of Martin
Heidegger. We can see that life in the world for both philosophers are like being
abandoned, and we ourselves are the only ones who can make a way to deal with it.
5. Language is not just series of logical assertions or expressions but is the living context of
Dasein.
 The being in the world is primarily a being of understanding, and trying to understand
the world, is expressed by language.
 Language is the vehicle to understand our world, and to understand the world with
others. It is also more dynamic than we think.
 Language is also not just about the precision of our statements to logical
propositions.( in contradiction to logical positivists)
 Language is also the house of being because that is how you understand your
historicity based on the context of the words we use.
 Language is also based on the temporality and it reveals possibilities.