HEIDEGGER X BEING TOWARDS DTH

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Heidegger – Being-Toward-Death (Sein-zum-Tode)

In Being and Time (1927), Martin Heidegger introduces Being-toward-death (Sein-zum-Tode) as a central concept in understanding human existence (Dasein). Heidegger argues that authentic living requires confronting our mortality, rather than avoiding or ignoring it.

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1. Death as the Ultimate Possibility

• Death is the most certain and personal aspect of existence—no one can die for us.
• Unlike everyday possibilities (e.g., career, relationships), death is the one possibility that cancels all others.
• This makes death not just an event at the end of life, but a defining feature of life itself.

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2. Everyday Avoidance of Death ("Falling" into the They-Self)

• Most people ignore their mortality, absorbed in distractions and social conventions (the “They” or Das Man).
• Society normalizes death through rituals and euphemisms, making it seem distant and impersonal.
• Living this way leads to inauthentic existence, where we avoid personal responsibility for our lives.

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3. Authenticity Through Confronting Mortality

• Authenticity (Eigentlichkeit) comes from fully embracing our mortality.
• When we accept death, we stop living passively and start making genuine, self-determined choices.
• Instead of fearing death, we use it as a motivation to live meaningfully.

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4. Being-Toward-Death vs. Other Views on Death

🔹 Heidegger vs. Existentialism (Sartre, Camus)

• Sartre sees death as absurd and meaningless.
• Camus argues for revolting against meaninglessness (e.g., The Myth of Sisyphus).
• Heidegger, however, sees death as a way to become truly ourselves.

🔹 Heidegger vs. Stoicism & Buddhism

• Stoicism & Buddhism teach detachment from death to achieve peace.
• Heidegger argues for active engagement with mortality, not detachment.

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5. Why It Matters Today

✅ Motivates authentic living – instead of passively following society’s expectations.
✅ Challenges avoidance culture – today’s world often denies death (e.g., social media, consumerism).
✅ Influences existential psychology – awareness of mortality can enhance personal meaning (Terror Management Theory).

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The most popular one is that some of them were of tribal origin, which is supported by Oppert, Fick, Bose, Sharma and also by Ambedkar who called them 'Broken Men'. This is probably due to the fact that at least one group of untouchables, the candālas, which exists in India even now, is identified with the kandaloi, whom Ptolemy referred as a tribe besides others such as bhills, pulinda, etc. (Bose 1942: I. 436; Fick 1920: 204-06; Oppert 1972: 155, 32, 80; Sharma 1980: 71, n. 3, 139).

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In this context, one may cite the example of some groups, particularly those of the nişādas, rathakāras and nāpitas, for whom the Aryas displayed clear preferences to others. Possibly, some of these people were useful to them, and some voluntarily offered their cooperation. One may note here that the different roles assigned to them by the RV people were of special significance. With the nişādas, the relationship appears to have been the closest. They were friendly to the Aryas who apparently gained much from having them initially as their allies.

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