Define Infinity wrote:
traptunderice wrote:
I think of selfs, egos, subjects in standard Western traditions as contained and packaged entities. Descartes can come up with his thinking ego outside of the world, Kant has a neatly packaged subject of apperception which constitutes the world (the transcendental object) as the perception of the transcendental object makes possible apperception through synthesis, even Hume's bundle of perceptions is still a neat bundle which if devoid of content would dissolve yet the perceptions which it is made of are perceptions of the world, not the world.
For Heidegger, though, subject and object can't be separated. He takes Kant further to some degree. Rather than having apperception related to transcendental object in a circle constituting the other, Heidegger smears that. Dasein is its possibilities in the world. It is not a list of ontic characteristics or attributes. It is what it does in the world. The concept of Dasein opens up the possibility of Butler, as I'm reading now, to say the subject is nothing except for when it is enacted, through gender, or Althusser to say the subject arise through interpellation of policing or Foucault to say the subject is simply what disciplinary apparatuses inscribe in the body.
The classic line on 42 of the German pagination that Dasein's essence is its existence is crucial. What Dasein is, its essence, is founded upon its existence, how it is in the world, acting and being acted upon. Dasein is always with others in this world; Dasein ontologically is always taking up and discarding possibilities; it is ontological that through these possibilities which Dasein partakes in, Dasein comes to understand itself. Dasein can never be known except through the world and maybe Heidi's refutation of Descartes would come up at that moment. I don't remember it clearly but it's something about substance rather ugh. Contra Berkeley's notion of a perceiving, constituting subject, Dasein is a meaning ascribing subject, a subject which would exist without the world insofar as its thought constitutes the world. The world only gains meaning through Dasein's interaction with it. Dasein is always within a world that is being orientated to Dasein.
Quick ramblings, hope that helps. I spouted that off the top of my head so I could probably be a bit more precise or lucid. Let me know if you want clarification. I mentioned enough moderns but also "post-moderns" so if you knew any of those you could take them up as a comparison. Descartes is the easy target, though, as always I guess. The more contemporary options would be super interesting for a paper insofar as they already reject what you are seeking to explain that Heidegger is rejecting but my personal biases are towards the 20th century theorists.
Thank you very much for taking the time to write this; it is much appreciated. I have a very good idea about Dasein and its characteristics and possibilities. I haven't read any Berkeley and have not really concentrated on post-modernism that much but I know somethings about it, nonetheless (although not enough to write a ten page essay on it, just yet). Yes, Descartes would be the obvious point of discussing this matter but I would rather approach it differently. I am meeting with my professor on Friday so I suppose I can ask for some sources as how to approach it from the modern and "post-modern" way in terms of what books I can use as secondary sources. Thanks again for your brainstorm. You have given me a pointer. Cheers. Approaching it from a Psychological standpoint can also be very interesting.
By all means, I was just throwing stuff out there. Psychology/phil of mind as an approach, given that I believe you're a psych/phil double major might be interesting. I don't keep up with that stuff but surely there should be some form of phenomenology in that field, that is, phil of mind, which could be subsumed into or synthesized with Heidi's account. I like to think of phil as relational, my continental background, everything has developed within a history so I was just trying to stretch and bounce Heidi's thought in order to make it a little easier to engage.
I feel sick. I drank Natural Light, the really shitty beer, out of a pitcher last night because after pre-gaming at home with some Kraken, the girl I was dancing/kissing wanted me to catch up in terms of drunkness. She's a light weight and a hot damn mess at times so I couldn't catch up but did drink a pitcher and spilt a third of a pitcher trying to pour me a cup out of hers. she didn't like that. And I bit her which she didnt like but is what I do i guess. She's difficult to read. And she routinely throws up at the end of the night. If she didn't have such firm breasts and was adorable and really fun to be around, I would not waste my time. My life has reached a low point. Yesterday, at a social justice and human trafficking awareness fair on campus I was walking from organization booth/table to booth/table in order to hit on the ladies discussing their groups. It was mildly inappropriate. My life is becoming more and more pathetic but I'm getting over my ex. Blegh.
And 
of course!
.