CHAPTER II AN ATHEISTIC ANALYSIS OF MAN AND HIS EXISTENCE: HIEDEGGERIAN PERSPECTIVE

We have gone so far in understanding man and his existence in a theistic approach through the existential philosophy of a Christian philosopher namely Sren Aabye Kierkegaard. He proposed the realization of the real self in God. But still, existentialism does not depend merely on one view namely in a theistic view; rather, it is also realized in an atheistic approach. Accordingly, this chapter exposes the atheistic notion of man and his existence through the existential philosophy of Martin Heidegger. He viewed man and his existence in a phenomenological approach excluding the role of God in mans realization of real self. This will be clearer to us in the following subtopics as we understand the fundamental structures of Dasein and its situation.

1.

Heideggerian Conception of Man In the Heideggerian perspective, mans search for his authentic existence lies

in his Being.1 This gave way to the understanding of Dasein2 which is a technical

The word Being will be used for das Sein; its mode and the Being proper for it; while, the German expression das Seiende, that which is, will be variously translated as being or entity. Cf. John Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger (London: John Knox Press, 1968), 4. The term Dasein has special connotations for Heidegger, means roughly human being or the mode of being human.Cf. W.T. Jones and Robert J. Fogelin, A History of Western Philosophy: The Twentieth Century to Quine and Derrida, 3rd ed.
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term for human being. The term Dasein gives a clear idea of who man is. Furthermore, Heidegger restricts the Being of Dasein to man and it is understood solely within the human predicament. In the succeeding subtopics, we can see that man as an existent has a distinct existence from other entities as regards his Being. Thus, Heidegger posits some analysis on mans being and his beings Being.

1.1 The Dasein In understanding Martin Heideggers existential philosophy in view of man and his existence, it is necessary to have the theme of analytic of Dasein. It is notable that Heidegger began to unveil his existential philosophy with the question of Being. This is contained in his phenomenological method in Being and Time.3 Basically, Being carries with it various connotations. The first prejudice is that Being is the most universal of concepts. Second, it is supposed that Being is indefinable. And third, Being is a self-evident concept. Hence, Being is mostly thought of something that is, regarded as a class or universal property or expressed in the verb to be.4 But in the Heideggerian context, Being designates the term Dasein. Heidegger posits: It is peculiar to this entity that with and through its Being, this being is disclosed to it. Understanding of Being is itself a definite characteristic of Daseins Being. Dasein is ontically distinctive in that it is ontological. That (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997), 311.Hereafter cited as Western Philosophy. Being and Time was published in 1927 and dedicated to Husserl. This book became the fountainhead of twentieth century existentialism. It uses a phenomenological method in existentialism within the context of humanity. Cf. Bryan Magee, The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), 255.Hereafter cited as Great Philosophers. Cf. Martin Heidegger, Being and Time (New York: Harper and Rope, Publishers Inc., 1962), 5.
4 3

kind of Being towards which the Dasein can comport itself in one way or another, and always does comport itself somehow, we call existence. And because we cannot define Daseins essence by citing a what of the kind that pertains to a subject-matter, and because its essence lies rather in the fact that in each case it has its Being to be, and has it as its own, we have chosen to designate this entity as Dasein, a term which is purely an expression of its Being.5 Dasein in its very concept is equivocal to existence yet remains distinct. Basically, it is a German term simply for existence as in mans everyday existence. Yet, if it is taken apart being-there, this conveys that this activity of human being is an activity of being in a situation in which coping can go on and things can be encountered.6 It is a kind of Being that characterizes human self-consciousness.7 Whence, Dasein is an entity whose being in its mode of Being is its very Being.8 Thus, Dasein is a being for which, in its Being, that Being is an issue.9 Moreover, Heidegger posits the fundamental structures of Dasein in its connotations for an existential analysis: 1. Dasein is never complete in its Being. Heidegger states that, to exist is always to be on the way.10 Accordingly, he posited that the essence of Dasein lies in

Robert C. Solomon, ed., Phenomenology and Existentialism (Boston: United Press of America, Inc., 1980), 309.
6 7

Cf. Magee, Great Philosophers, 263.

Cf. Roger Scruton, A History of Modern Philosophy (London: Routledge, 1981), 257. Cf. Frederick A. Olafson, The Unity of Heideggers Thought, Charles Guignon, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Heidegger (United Kingdom: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1993), 107.
9 8

Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger, 8. Ibid, 12.

10

its existence.11 That Being remains an issue for this entity in its very Being as it goes unfinished.12 Hence, Daseins essence is constituted not by properties but by possible ways of being.13 2. The existence of Dasein is characterized in every case by a unique mineness; it is always someones own existencethus, expressed by a personal pronoun I.14 It has to make some sort of decision in a way that it is in each case mine.15 This mineness is indeed the basic characteristic of an existent (human being) within the concept of existentialism. 3. A Dasein can either choose itself or lose itself.16 It connotes the modes of Being namely authenticity and inauthenticity.17 Heidegger makes it clear as he says: It can either exist (stand out) as the distinctive being which it is, or it can be submerged in a kind of anonymous routine manner of life, in which its possibilities are taken over and dictated to it by circumstances or by social pressures. Thus, it can take possession of its own possibilities of Being or its possibilities have been relinquished or suppressed.18

11 12 13

Cf. Solomon, ed., Phenomenology and Existentialism, 307. Cf. Heidegger, Being and Time, 67. Cf. John Macquarrie, Existentialism (New York: World Publishing Co., Cf. Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger, 13. Cf. Heidegger, Being and Time, 68. Cf. Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger, 14. Cf. Heidegger, Being and Time, 68. Cf. Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger, 14.

1972), 67.
14 15 16 17

18

It is undeniable that one can be absorbed by a system and become much acquainted to others. This conveys the Daseins freedom to choose if he will depend solely on others and make his own choices.

1.2 The Dasein as restricted to Human Predicament For Heidegger, to be human is simply to be open to the presence of being.19 As far as Heidegger aims at elucidating mans existence with regard to its Being, he restricts the technical term Dasein to the being exemplified by man.20 Martin Heidegger has used the expression thrownness or facticity as somewhat vivid metaphor for mans factical condition. Man is thrown into existence; each one is thrown into his own particular existential situation.21 Hence, man possesses life which is an issue for him as Daseins Being remains an issue for itself. Being an issue, the life of Dasein or man is characterized by autonomy i.e. human self-consciousness. Human Dasein understands his own Being in his factical condition as far as human Dasein in every case is mine. Man fulfils his Being precisely by existing, by standing out as the unique individual that he is and stubbornly refusing to be absorbed into a system.22 Moreover, Daseins designation to human concept connotes its being-there whose essence is understood not by its properties but through its own possibilities as it is incomplete in its Being. Heidegger explains:

19

Jones and Fogelin, Western Philosophy, 313. Cf. Macquarrie, Existentialism, 66. Ibid, 191. Ibid, 66.

20 21 22

This very word existence is used in a restricted sense for the kind of Being that belongs to Dasein and so to man. We have already noticed that while man, atoms, mountains, trees, stars, and innumerable things besides, all are, man is distinguished from all the rest because he not only is, but has some understanding of and some responsibility for who he is. In this sense, he alone exists, i.e. he stands out from the general run of beings as the particular being who has to decide about Being.23 Although Heidegger restricts this kind of Being solely to man, he does not deny the existence of other realities. He only sets the difference of man from other entities as regards his Being which is proper to Dasein particularly in its possibilities. Therefore, man as an entity is partly similarly to other entities as regards his being and at the same time partly different to other entities as regards his Being. Furthermore, understanding the Heideggerian man brings us to its vivid comprehension as we deal with its threefold structure in existence: (a) Human Dasein is already Being-in-theworld, a unitary phenomenon.24 This situation pertains to the facticity, thrownness and affective states of man. (b) Human Dasein is close-to-its-world, so close to it that it is absorbed in it. Here belongs the phenomena of falling, the they and the scattering of possibilities.25 (c) Human Dasein is a Being-ahead-of-itself which denotes an issue within the whole time of existence.26 This connotes being open to possibilities and here belongs the projecting and understanding of ones own existence. This also includes self realization in his own death.

23 24 25

Cf. Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger, 7-8. Cf. Jones and Fogelin, Western Philosophy, 319. Cf. Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger, 27. Cf. Jones and Fogelin, Western Philosophy, 324.

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2.

Heideggerian Notion of Mans Existence We have gone so far in understanding the Heideggerian man. We have

understood the Daseins Being as proper solely to mans Being. Yet, the Heideggerian man comes to realize his real self in the mode of his own existence. Man considers several elements in order for him to find possible ways of Being. He tries to relate himself to other entities which give him the opportunity to choose his authenticity. Whereas, the next subtopics discusses mans relation to the world and to the things in it and most especially their important roles in mans search for his authentic existence.

2.1 The Human Dasein in Relation to his World The human Dasein carries with it a unitary phenomenon with the world. In this sense, human Dasein is situated in the world as Heidegger calls it as Being-in-theworld. This is the basic condition or state of man (Dasein) which is essentially his nature.27 Man, in his existence, is situated in the world. Thus, the concept of humanity connotes the concept of the world. Moreover, Being-in is the formal existential expression for the Being of Dasein, which has the Being-in-the-world as its essential state.28

Cf. Samuel Enoch Stumpf, Socrates to Sartre: A History of Philosophy (New York: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1966), 466. Hereafter cited as Socrates to Sartre.
28

27

Cf. Heidegger, Being and Time, 80.

In a theological perspective, the world is created prior to man. In the divine plan, man is considered to have a place where he can be situated. Thus, the world is a prerequisite in the existence of man. But generally, the concept Being-in of man describes mans being-there as in a location. The world is a place where man lives with all his human activities. Besides, the world is where different entities which exist with the Dasein (man) are situated. Thus, it constitutes its concept of a space filled with entities. Notwithstanding, as far as we are concerned with the world of Dasein, Heidegger posits that the world is not merely a place where entities are located. Heidegger explains further: To be in the world as Dasein is not the same as one thing being in another thing, as water is in a glass or as clothes are in a closet. Dasein, that is, man, is in a world in the sense of dwelling upon, of being familiar with or I look after something29 Thereby, Heidegger states that the world in a more philosophical sense is not just a mere place where man is in; but, a place where man does all his activities be routinely or new. It is a place where man decides what to do in a given situation and find possible ways of Being. This is what Heidegger also termed as the inhood.30 These activities which concur with mans existence are realized by mans everydayness or everyday world.31

29

Stumpf, Socrates to Sartre, 466.

Inhood is the mode of Daseins Being as regards possibility; man is not just located in the world as in being-there rather he is also bound to it by all ties of work, interest, affection and so on as in e.g. Being-in-love. Cf. Macquarrie, Heidegger, 15.

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2.2 Concern or Care as the Being of Dasein Man is in relation with the world and with every entity within it. This mode of the Dasein is what Heidegger calls the concern or care.32 The human Dasein relates himself to other entities in the world through a practical concern or care, the Being of Dasein. Hence, to be in the world is to have concern to it and to all the things in it through interaction.33 The world is the summary of things which are available for man; thus, it contains various concerns of man. These things to which man can relate himself and show his concern are what Heidegger calls, Ready-to-hand and Presentat-hand.34 Heidegger explicates it: Let us suppose, for instance, that we are confronted with a mountain. There are at least two ways in which we can think of it. We may think of it as just something lying around, something we have come across in the world; in this case, the mountain is, in Heideggers language, merely Present-at-hand. We are related to it only in a minimal kind of way, and it is not fully incorporated into our world. But we can also think of the mountain in relation to our practical concerns as a quarry which can yield building materials, as a recreation area which can serve for winter sports, as a look-out post, and in

Everydayness or everyday world is the mode of Daseins Being as regards its activities; it is the routinely activity of man wherein he realizes his own self in a given situation. Concern or Care has been used by existentialists to refer to the complex relation designated by the in of Being-in-the-world. It is understood in a very general sense as concerning the almost endless ways in which mans interests impinge on the beings around him.
33 34 32

31

Cf. Macquarrie, Existentialism, 84.

Ready-to-hand are the things in the world which are potentially serviceable to mans needs and available for mans utility and Present-at-hand are things which are just there and merely occurring in the world.

dozens of other ways. Now the mountain has become Ready-to-hand and has become an item within the domain of practical concern.35 This perspective shows that man has his own relation with the world and all the things in it as he commits himself to various activities in his everyday world. in this sense, the human Dasein reveals his concern or care as an important factor in mans relation to the world. He utilizes the things in the world. The being of these entities is exhibited phenomenologically as we clue our daily Being-in-the-world; we can call it our dealings in the world and with the entities within the world.36 With this mode, man is able to realize step by step his own real self as within the expression of his Being.

2.3 The Human Dasein in Relation to Others As far as we have conceived the idea of the world, we can perceive the world as the summary of things, the diverse entities. Hence, human Dasein as Being-in-theworld possesses co-existence with others. The Human Dasein is Being-with-Others in as much as the world is the one that I share with others.37 In one sense, human Dasein as we have understood in the previous account, has concern to things which are readyto-hand and present-at-hand and avails himself to the utility of other objects. As an example, the book we have used was brought at So-and-sos shop and given by such-and-such a person, and so forth; the anchored boat at the shore which is such a thing is assigned in its Being-in-itself to a such-and-such

35

Macquarrie, Martin Heidegger, 15-16. Cf. Jones and Fogelin, Western Philosophy, 321. Cf. Heidegger, Being and Time, 155.

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acquaintance who undertakes voyages with such a thing; but even if it is such a boat which is strange to us, it still is indicative of Others.38 Likewise, in other sense, Others is as well and mostly understood in the concept of the They, the co-Dasein.39 Man does not live by himself alone; he has a call for companionship; thus, he lives with other beings especially with other human beings because the world is a personal environment.40 And, in as much as man relates himself with the They, the They is Being-there-too.41 Thus, this clearly reveals that existence is Being-with-others or Being-with-one-another.42 Man is in a situation where he, on daily basis, meets his family, friends, neighbors etc. and even discovers new friends. Thus, man as Being-with-Others is understood as Everyday Being-with.43 They share in one existence; the existence proper solely to Dasein. In this case, each man is called for a communion and thus dependent on each other. As Heidegger says, existence is fundamentally communal in character and without others I cannot exist.44 Notwithstanding, this does not follow that ones existence purely imply

38 39

Ibid, 153-154.

They or co-Dasein indicates an existence common to human beings; whereas, one human Dasein relates himself with other human Dasein; every human beings share in the existence of Dasein.
40

Cf. Macquarrie, Existentialism, 102.

Being-there-too is a phenomenon when an existent shares with the existence of another as in that of Dasein; both existents perform the same mode of existence.
42

41

Cf. Macquarrie, Existentialism, 102.

Everyday Being-with is a phenomenon when mans relation to other human beings is realized on daily basis; in the mode of his Being, he continuously relates himself to others or finds new relationships.

43

others existence. Thus, in characterizing the encountering of others, one is still oriented by the Dasein which is in each case mine.45 The human Dasein, although affected by others, remains as a unique phenomenon; he still owns his existence and responsible for all his actions and the possible ways of his Being. This shows the way to ones authenticity.46 Notwithstanding, there is a possibility of inauthenticity.47 As man relates himself to others, he cannot but be possibly absorbed by them. This is what Heidegger calls Fallenness. As he explains it: Fallenness, then, is authenticity. It is the mode of being in which we are lost in, dominated by, the world. It is the condition in which we believe we understand everything but in which, because we have adopted a very superficial and external view of understanding, we really understand nothing. Least of all, when we have fallen into the world, do we understand our own Dasein, for we have turned away from it and toward the world and the They.48 But, still, Dasein remains in its mineness. The others are just mere factors in mans realization of his real self. In his constant journey and search for authentic existence, he encounters others daily. Hence, he has the more possibilities of Being and more possible ways of reaching out to his real self.

44 45

Macquarrie, Existentialism, 102. Cf. Heidegger, Being and Time, 154.

Authenticity is realized in ones own action as in the case of Dasein which is in each case mine. Inauthenticity is realized when one totally depends on others existence and does not take responsibility of his own Being.
48 47

46

Cf. Jones and Fogelin, Western Philosophy, 388.