Dasein : f eans ‘existence In speaking of the human being, Heidegg.-r vefers to him as Dasein, a term traditionally m' ‘The in German philosophy. Heidegger here resorves this term to signify uniquely “human eae German word *Da’ means there and sein means ‘being’, hence Dasein literally means Ther ps Some other translators have translated this term as ‘being there’ and some others have translated ¢ ee i as “being here, Bither the term Dasein is translated into English as ‘there being’ or ‘being there” oF ei F here’ it means the same thing, that is man as existing in the world of space and time. The word a according to Heidegger, when prefixed to the term “sein, it does not mean simply being there in ire world it signifies more than a mere spatial relationship. Through the ‘da’, man is understood as being capable of having a number of encounters with other beings in the world, The ‘da’ immerses man in the world of objects and hence enables him to begin to comprehend the Being of beings. To comprehend the Being of beings, Heidegger's aim was to construct an ontology not existentialism. His main book Sein and Zeit (Being and Time) published in 1927 is the most existemialist of his writings. But Heidegger had rejected the title existentialist for himself and for his work. He says, “I am not primarily foncem with éxistence. My book bears the title Being and Time not Existence and Time. For me the haunting question is and has been not man’s existence but ‘Being-in-totality’ and Being as such.” Heidegger has expressedily refused to be group with the existentialist, In a communication sent to the colloquium of the French’ Society of Philosophy, he rejected the label existentialist. He weote’ “T must say again that my philosophical tendencies ... cannot be classified as a Philosophy of existence. The question that aes ‘me is not the question of human existence but it is the question of Being as a whole and as such.” \ et an ontology but unlike classical metaphysics which Heidegger’s starting point is man that is dasein. Dasein as specifically human existence has a special connotation in view of its connection with Sein (Being). He is interested in man not for the sake of giving a psychological or cultural account of man , but man as Peculiar instance of Being, and the structure of Being, not with man alone. Though Heidegger’s main’aim was to constru approached ontology via cosmology, Heidegger begins by distinguishing min fiom thitigs:~Things fall: into tWovelasses for Heidegger. either they are simply there (verhanden), or they are seen from the standpoint of their utilizability (2uhanden). In any case, one can obtain a first hand knowledge of what it means to be a man only through one’s existence. Things are grasped by means of objective general concepts where for the purposes of thought any particular under a given class may be replaced by any othier. But human nature can be grasped directly only as an individual subject. There are two aspects of human nature of course which can be studied by sciences and formulated by means of general concepts. Yet Heidegger stresses the great difference between grasping human existence internally and looking at man externally. The most ‘important feature of being an individual subject is that man is personally concerned about his own existence, and can come to terms of what he is only by coming to terms with his possibilities, he can either gain or lose his true self. Heidegger insists that man is not a thing in the world but a “being” in the world, and that is not something to be taken for granted, Indeed the peculiar characteristics ofwhat it means to be a man tells us something of crucial importance about the structure of Being itself, something which can never be learnt by means of natural science or cosmology. ining the various peings in the world, Heidegger comes to the conclusion that there is only one ey walgue aiid to a, in this privileged capacity, that is dasein, Man is peculiarly suited to serve as a starting point in the inquiry precisely because the question of the Being of beings is of special importance to him. Dasein or human existence has two dimensions. One is its connection with Being Which it shares with the other beings. A horse too is « being connected with Being, But dassin as specifically human existence has its second dimension, that is, the possibility of being aware: about it connection with Being, asking questions pertaining to its own being, and thus transcending all other ‘beings. Man differs ontologically from all other existents, The huiman being alone can make an ontology possible because he alone can ask the question, *what is the Being of beings?” By asking this all importantGuestion, man can thus transcend his own being and that of every concrete entity. In this way, he is able = approach ‘Beihg as such, which is the ultimate object of our inquiry. But this second dimension is Possibility only. Man can ignore this question and just not ask it. He can float and coast along. He can exist ike other beings and not caring about his connection with Being, According to Heidegger, man in his exi most. That is about the true nature o beginning for philosophy and western desein’s being, he held. istence or dasein is basically ignorant about the things that matters f Being, awareness of the priority of Being would mean a new civilization. Understanding of Being is a definite characteristic of world’ finds that his being is in advanced of itself, that is he fin before he tas found out what it means to exist. He is already understanding, many humans live un-geauine and inauthentic lives, and although they experience unease living in a world beyond their comprehension, yet they make too little effort tp extend their comptehension. They suffer from a kind of absentmindedness, which Heidegger refers to as ‘everydayness’. They fail to fulfill their real potential. ‘The essence of dasein lies in its existence. ‘Man as dasein is completely interdependent with his world. Yet this does not prevent his feeling of being thrown into it, and being deeply puzzled by it. The structure of dascin is, therefore, care. ‘Care directed at dascin itself and its connection with Being is the very core of human life. It springs into clear awareness in anxiety and the confrontation of death, which lifts man out of his everyday routine, and his estrangement from Being. Man must realize in its full immediacy that death comes not in general. Everybody must die, but to each individual. Death alone brings the seriousness of finitude into dasein. According to Heidegger, death is the fact which make nothingness visible in human life itself. Death as a certain future occurrence with an uncertain date will in authentic existence always be a part of the present moment. The call of conscience is heard and may lead to authentic existence in which man finds his way back to a life of constant awareness of his connection with Being. All of these happen in the pregnant moment of the present in which the past and the future are full realities.