Lacking what? On the “Welt-Umwelt” dichotomy in Heidegger and Gehlen
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to focus on the Umwelt-Welt dichotomy by means of which Heidegger and Gehlen attempt to describe the grounds for the ontological difference between human and animal. Despite their profound differences, both Heidegger and Gehlen, due to their common belief in the ontological specificity of the human compared to the animal, assume as their own the classical metaphysical point of view according to which an appropriate definition of man’s essence can only be attained by excluding every element of animality from humanity. On the basis of these premises, I criticize this theoretical assumption as shared by Heidegger’s The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics: World, Finitude, Solitude (1929-1930) and Gehlen’s Man. His Nature and Place in the World (1940).Keywords
animal philosophy, anthropocentrism, ontology, anthropological philosophy, animalityReferences
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