Finitude, Phenomenology, and Theology in Heidegger's Sein und Zeit

Any purely phenomenological description of the human being as in some sense “finite” must avail itself of a concept of finitude that does not rely, implicitly or explicitly, on the concept of God. Theologically motivated descriptions, however, face no such dilemma; they can and, indeed, must avail t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dika, Tarek R. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge Univ. Press [2017]
In: Harvard theological review
Year: 2017, Volume: 110, Issue: 4, Pages: 475-493
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Heidegger, Martin 1889-1976, Sein und Zeit / Human being / Finiteness / Phenomenology / Theology
RelBib Classification:FA Theology
NBE Anthropology
TK Recent history
VA Philosophy
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
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Summary:Any purely phenomenological description of the human being as in some sense “finite” must avail itself of a concept of finitude that does not rely, implicitly or explicitly, on the concept of God. Theologically motivated descriptions, however, face no such dilemma; they can and, indeed, must avail themselves of some concept of the human creature as a finite being created in God's image (Gen 1:27 KJV). For there to be a meaningful difference between these two descriptions, the concept of finitude common to both must have a different sense in each. These are some of the methodological requirements Heidegger lays down in Sein und Zeit §10: “The Delimitation [Abgrenzung] of Phenomenology from Anthropology, Psychology, and Biology.” Heidegger's strategy for distinguishing the analytic of Dasein, in which the concept of finitude (Endlichkeit) plays a foundational role, from what he refers to as “the anthropology of Christianity” consists in distinguishing between two concepts of finitude: (1) finitude as lack or imperfection, defined as ens finitum relative to God as ens infinitum, and (2) an original concept of finitude, which, not being defined relative to God, is purely phenomenological and constitutes the horizon of any and all understanding of Being.
ISSN:1475-4517
Contains:Enthalten in: Harvard theological review
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0017816017000232