“Dasein is an entity which does not just occur among other entities. Rather it is ontically distinguished by the fact, that, in its very Being, that Being is an issue for it.”
—
Martin Heidegger
Being and Time (Sein und Zeit, 1927), Division I, Section 1
Commentary
This foundational statement introduces Dasein ('being-there'), Heidegger's term for human existence. Unlike objects, humans are uniquely aware of their own being; existence precedes essence. This became central to existentialism.
Heidegger argues that traditional ontology—the study of Being—has overlooked the special character of human existence. We are not merely present-at-hand (like objects), but exist in a way that makes Being itself a question for us. This distinction inaugurates a new phenomenological inquiry.
Commentary
This foundational statement introduces Dasein ('being-there'), Heidegger's term for human existence. Unlike objects, humans are uniquely aware of their own being; existence precedes essence. This became central to existentialism.
Heidegger argues that traditional ontology—the study of Being—has overlooked the special character of human existence. We are not merely present-at-hand (like objects), but exist in a way that makes Being itself a question for us. This distinction inaugurates a new phenomenological inquiry.