Dean&Francis

Heidegger’s notion of “being towards death” and its role in his

philosophy of temporality---How does it relate to human existence and
our experience of time?

Ziyu Gong

Abstract:
Investigates how the Being is understood by individuals about temporality and the connection between authentic human
experience and their experience and time. It suggested that Heidegger’s accounts of Being-towards-death coincide with
the individual experience of the time course, and human, authentic experience of existence is further influenced by the
experience of time. We accounted that the understanding of Death, as an end on the other side of time, contributes to
understanding human Being, that we are not a real substance in this world but consists of the authentic experience and
our projection to the future, in which choice, value, and anxiety from death make up the authentic experience of our
Being and our understanding of Being.
Keywords: Death, human’s Being, Being, human, authentic experience

Martin Heidegger is one of the most influential anticipation was “no more than ontological projection”
philosophers who has ever discussed the issue associated (SZ 358), which lies on psychological presentation of
with human existence. In his work Being and Time, he being and picturing the image of the death. Heidegger
emphasized that it is imperative to repetitively contemplate argued that both modes allow an authentic understanding
the question of Being. He recognized that “‘Being’ is the of the future, which characterizes temporality in general.
most universal and the emptiest of concepts” (SZ 21), As human existence is in finitude of temporality, the
emphasizing the significance of the question of Being to individual’s understanding of death comes not only from
reveal the fundamental nature of existence and provide a the present moment but also from expectations toward
basis for understanding the world. Heidegger introduced the future, so the connection between human existence
the concept of “Being-towards-death”, which cannot be and the perception of time has been raised as our second
concerned with actualizing death (SZ 306), and it further hurdle.
challenges conventional perceptions of human mortality. Finally, Heidegger suggested that the authentic experience
First, Heidegger proposed two different phenomena of the involves a transparent understanding of one’s resoluteness
sense of an ending (Dasein): death (Tod) as a possibility in an existential manner, while “Dasein is constantly
of the impossibility of Being and demise (Ableden) as ahead itself” but “inconsistently anticipatory about its
an event of death in certainty. In other words, Heidegger existential possibility” (SZ 337), the uncertainty and
did not define the destruction of the physical body and unpredictability of the future requires one’s running ahead
withdrawal from this world as death, as the general public to open up the possibilities and experience authentically
thinks of it. In contrast, he took death as a possibility of as it fails to portray the death in the anticipation. Thus, our
possibilities, and he provided an open end of existence third hurdle would investigate how the understanding of
even though the endpoint would possibly be going out death shapes human’s authentic experience as individuals.
of the world. Regarding his essential argument, our first When death is always “there” in the unknowable and
hurdle would be how his concepts of death challenge unseen, the discussion of the individual’s existence
conventional views on death. pales in comparison to the discussion of the individual’s
Second, as the understanding of death is unrevealed to existence because, in the context of the infinite, the
people, Heidegger mentioned two authentic modes of differences between each possibility will not be
being toward death in temporality, running ahead and apparent. In contrast, on the contrary, when the finite
anticipation. He argued that anticipation running ahead temporality characterizes the existence, it is not possible
is “headlong onto it (death),” but not “waiting for death,” to understand the one’s existence. Especially when one
“dwelling upon it,” or “actualizing it before it comes” (SZ perceives the temporal scale, death becomes a “visible
307), which is about the authentic experience. In contrast, but inexperienced” endpoint of the scale, while the other

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endpoint is the authentic experience, the “visible and the same for all people, then where do the differences
experienced endpoint,” and how the past and present in people’s fear of death or other emotions come from?
shape one’s perception of his existence and his being (2) If death is seen as the certain end of Being, how is it
towards death is worth discussion. that Beings as different entities or beings defined by the
This paper argues that Heidegger’s concept concerns the individuals themselves have consistent endings? It follows
end of life and investigates essential human experience that the variability and consistency of Dasein does not
and existence in the possibility of death, which is produce a direct correlation with Being, in other words,
instrumental to comprehending Being about temporality. meaning that Dasein is not subordinate to Being, that
In other words, understanding the connection between Dasein is itself, that it has its Being.
human existence and time should be an authentic If Dasein is indifferent to anybody, why is it “mine” in
experience for individuals. Heidegger’s account? Heidegger emphasized that “in
each case Dasein is mine in one way or another” (SZ
Section 1. How Heidegger’s concepts of 68), meaning that the Being of Dasein is not a mere
death challenge conventional views on object of study, but it is already involved in the world
death with its existence. The Being of different individuals
In the account of Heidegger, Dasein is an entity shapes its existence, so “my Dasein’s Being” does not
characterized by its beings (SZ 42) – various phenomena resemble “your Dasein’s Being” due to the different issues
of being to the end, and it goes beyond the physiological encountered, different experiences it has been through,
and biological collapse of human bodies. It fundamentally and different triggered feelings. The individual’s constant
is “mine,” as he described the Dasein as “in each case awareness of Dasein is characterized by his existence
mineness” (SZ 42), meaning that the kind of Being that in the world and his projection of existence toward the
belongs to Dasein is of a sort that any of us may call world. In other words, Dasein is not just a “what” (like a
our own, namely, individualized. Meanwhile, the being table or a tree) but a “who” that is already engaged in the
of Dasein is also “a matter of indifference” (SZ 42), world. Therefore, Heidegger challenged traditional views
indicating that it resembles and is indifferent to every of “death” by emphasizing that “Death (Dasein) has its
individual and that any particular thing or object does Being” and that its existence was shaped by individual
not determine it. It seems that Heidegger set Dasein as a consciousness.
path toward personal experience and existence instead of
termination of life.
Section 2. The connection between
Traditional views of being and death differ from
human existence and time based on the
Heidegger’s ontological analysis of being and death.
understanding of Being
Before Heidegger, traditional Greek philosophers As a central theme in “Being in Time,” Being was
interpreted Being as a “universal” and “undefinable” recognized as a fundamental human existence of itself
concept that could be defined by anyone’s self-evidence by Heidegger, “All the Being-as-it-is (Sosein) which this
and experience (SZ 21) as the realm of eternal and entity possesses is primarily Being” (SZ 68) and “That
unchanging Forms or Ideas, while the human soul is Being which is an issue for this entity in its very Being”
immortal. In this case, the problem is that anyone could (SZ 68), suggesting that Being is neither an issue that
have their explanation toward Being while no one can defined by its relation to any object, nor a substance that
answer what it is in a generally convincible way. On the exists independently of human existence. Accordingly,
other hand, previous philosophers explained “death” as based on Heidegger’s definition of Being, human beings
momentary actions. Thomas Aquinas viewed “Being” as are unique in their ability to reflect on their existence and
an entity, while death (Dasein) is a “distinctive entity” ask questions about its meaning.
(SZ 34), which argues that death is the separation of the In Heidegger’s argument, “Understanding of Being is
soul from the body and that the soul continues to exist itself a definite characteristic of Dasein’s Being” (SZ 32),
after death. Thus, conventional views on death as the end meaning that the understanding of Being is not an issue
of life, which is likely an action of withdrawing from the that can be grasped through objective analysis or scientific
being, so that being toward death was considered as a investigation but rather a constant possibility that must
switch of situations from Being to Not-to-Being. be approached through a phenomenological examination
Although previous generations have had a uniform default of human existence. In other words, understanding Being
definition of death, there would be two questions: (1) If is intimately tied to how human beings experience and
death is considered a certainty that has to happen and is interpret the world around them.

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As Heidegger argued, human existence or Dasein Section 3. How the understanding

is fundamentally temporal (SZ 458); how humans of death shapes human’s authentic
perceive and understand the “temporality” is critical for experience as individuals
understanding the Being. He proposed the “now,” the
“then,” and the “on the former occasion,” which refer Our understanding of death not only opens the
to the present, the past, and the future, respectively (SZ understanding of the possibilities of life but also affects
459). In his argument, humans are always situated in a our authentic experience as individuals. In Heidegger’s
particular temporal context, and our past, present, and account, “authentic existence is not something which
future possibilities shape our understanding of the Being. floats above falling everydayness; existentially, it is only
Our understanding of Being seems to be retrieving the a modified way in which such everydayness is seized
paths of experience, context, and results of our present upon.” (SZ 224). Accordingly, authentic experience in
actions and projection toward the moment yet to come. everydayness consists of ways we project our will and
Therefore, our understanding of time is intimately tied to have an impact on this objective world - our choices,
our understanding of Being, and the authentic experience values, and existential anxiety in the present.
of human existence must consider the temporal nature of Heidegger argues that the anticipation of death allows us
our being in the world. to recognize our existence’s finitude and understand the
If so, how does our understanding of time connect significance of our choices and actions (SZ 307). Pushing
to the understanding of Being? Heidegger argues the example to the extremes, in a dueling tournament that
that “Anticipation turns out to be the possibility of never ends, the champion would not be given significant
understanding one’s ownmost and uttermost potentiality meaning because, in an infinite time scale, all winning
for being, that is to say, the possibility of authentic champions would be temporary, and there would always
existence” (SZ 307). In his suggestion, the anticipation be the possibility that the next person would overcome the
of death is a fundamental aspect of human existence that current champion. Aligned with what Heidegger argued,
shapes our understanding of the present and the future. authentic experience is grounded in an awareness of one’s
Heidegger argues that the anticipation of death makes it mortality and the finitude of human existence (SZ 358).
possible for us to recognize the possibilities that are open When one realizes the finite nature of time, that death
to us in the present and make choices that are authentic will eventually come, he will prioritize the most valuable
and meaningful. He also suggests that the anticipation of options and choices and cherish any positive or negative
death allows us to recognize the ultimate horizon of our experience brought by this decision.
existence and to understand the significance of our actions Nevertheless, Heidegger proposed that the anticipation
in light of this horizon. In this way, the anticipation of of death can transform existential anxiety into a more
death is a crucial aspect of our understanding of the authentic form of anxiety (SZ 312). Heidegger interpreted
present and the future, and it shapes our understanding of anxiety as “a basic state-of-mind of Dasein” and the fear
the possibilities that are open to us in life. of being “insignificant from the existential-ontological
Although Wrathall values running ahead over expectation standpoint” (SZ 179), which amounts to the disclosed
when discussing the authentic way to open possibilities Ness of the fact that Dasein exists as thrown Being
of Death, he proposed that “Expectation fails to see or towards its end (SZ 296). It follows that he sees existential
acknowledge that death is a possibility that alters the anxiety as due to the predictable arrival of endings of self-
significance of everyone on my possibility” (Warthall, existence, a kind of dissatisfaction with existence, and
17). He believes the moment yet to come cannot be fear of the unknowable other side of death.
imagined or projected, so the present situation provides However, in which situation do the predictable endings
“opportunities to carry out a certain repertoire” (Warthall, lead to existential anxiety? In my understanding,
18). However, he misunderstands and fails to claim when one is forced to think of death, the gap between
the interaction among the times, meaning that the past, individuals’ summaries of past experiences and future
the present, and the future consists of our expectations expectations triggers various emotions that compose the
toward death and its possibility. It is precisely as a result anxiety. On the one hand, positive, authentic experience
of summaries of past experiences and future expectations with achievement in the past life leads to fulfillment and
that guide the actions and choices of individuals in the satisfaction; in this case, people have higher expectations
present moment that we construct an understanding of our of future possibilities of better Being. Dasein will end this,
existence. At the same time, we construct the meaning of thus causing falling resentment that turns into anxiety. On
death for ourselves. the other hand, one might argue that predictable Dasein
releases individuals with unsatisfied or tragic pasts;

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however, if sensing one’s existence is one of the few of the time course, and human, authentic experience of
invaluable experiences for whom with negative authentic existence is further influenced by the experience of time.
experience, then Dasein foretells the end of the future and We accounted that the understanding of Death, as an end
denies Being as himself. on the other side of time, contributes to understanding
Under the finitude, urgency, and limitation of time, human’s Being, that we are not a real substance in this
Dasein, as a possibility of the impossibility of Being, does world but consists of the authentic experience and our
an individualized reshaping of one’s authentic experience projection to the future, in which choice, value, and
and informs one of which choices and values are priorities anxiety from death make up the authentic experience of
in the present moment as compared to the others, to get a our Being and our understanding of Being.
better experience of one’s Being in the world.
Overall, the paper investigates how individuals understand References
the Being about temporality and the connection between Heidegger, Martin. 2008. Being and Time. New York, NY:
authentic human experience and their experience and HarperCollins.
time. We suggested that Heidegger’s accounts of Being-
towards-death coincide with the individual experience