An Analysis Of Existential Freedom In Heidegger's Thought

Existentialism is a term applied to the works of certain philosophers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries who, despite their deep scholastic differences, share the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject and not merely thematic thinking. In existentialism, the starting point of a person is determined by what is called "attitude towards existence" or the feeling of not belonging and being lost in the face of a seemingly meaningless and absurd world. According to existentialists, life is meaningless unless the person himself gives it meaning. This means that we find ourselves in life, then we decide to give it meaning or substance. As Sartre said: we are condemned to freedom; It means that we have no choice but to choose and bear the responsibility of our choice. Sometimes existentialism is confused with nihilism when it is different from it. Nihilists believe that life has no purpose and meaning, while existentialists believe that man must create the meaning and purpose of his life. Existentialism is derived from the word existence which means existence. Soren Kierkegaard is called the first existentialist. There is a difference between "atheistic existentialism" and "Christian existentialism". Among the most well-known Christian existentialists are Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, and Karl Jaspers. In this essay we try to show the place of freedom (free will) in Kant’s thought according to Heidegger’s interpretation; according to this interpretation, freedom is not a metaphysical and noumenal freedom for human as Subject but an existential one that makes him possible as a Dasein (being- in- world). Such a fundamental freedom is not provable and cannot be treated by any theoretical speculation, rather we encounter it in our actions and in the process of making free decisions, finding philosopher’s theoretical attempts to prove it in vain. The actuality of freedom must be searched in ourselves and in our own state of being, not in a lifeless and systematic arguments of philosopher’s; And it is Kant that discovers this point implicitly in his second Critic (The Critique of Practical reason) causing a great turn for Heidegger's thought.

An Analysis Of Existential Freedom In Heidegger's Thought Keywords:

metaphysical freedom , existential freedom , Determinism , Subject , dasain.