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Series:   Elements in the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger

Heidegger on Being Affected

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2024

Katherine Withy
Katherine Withy
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC

Summary

Things get to us. We are moved or affected by 'things' in the ordinary sense=the paraphernalia of our daily lives-and also by ourselves, by others, and by ontological phenomena such as being and time. How can such things get to us? How can things matter to me? Heidegger answers this question with his concepts of finding (Befindlichkeit) and attunement (Stimmung). This Element explores how being finding allows things to matter to us in attunements such as fear and hope by allowing those things to show up as benefits or detriments to our pursuits and so to put those pursuits at stake. It also explores how we can be affected ontologically-that is, affected by being-in special attunements such as angst and boredom, as well as how Heidegger's account of being affected has contributed to our understanding of emotions, moods, and affective disorders.
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Keywords

Heideggermoodattunementangstboredom
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger
Online ISBN: 9781009504058
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 20 June 2024

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Heidegger on Being Affected
  • Katherine Withy, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Online ISBN: 9781009504058
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Heidegger on Being Affected
  • Katherine Withy, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Online ISBN: 9781009504058
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Heidegger on Being Affected
  • Katherine Withy, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Online ISBN: 9781009504058
Available formats
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