Heidegger's Social Ontology: The Phenomenology of Self, World, and Others

Heidegger's social ontology emphasizes the importance of pre-reflective correlation between behavior and projects to understand others, do things with others, and form lasting groups. Nicolai Knudsen argues that Heidegger's concept of authenticity is relevant to current debates on social cognition, collective intentionality, and social normativity. He also shows how Heidegger's affiliation with National Socialism betrayed his insights into social life.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Many critics and commentators argue that Heidegger had little to say about human sociality. However, Nicolai Knudsen challenges this widely held misconception in his book. Drawing on his influential philosophy of mind, philosophy of action, and conception of being-with, Knudsen argues that the central idea of Heidegger's social ontology is that we can only understand others, engage in activities with them, and form lasting groups with them if we pre-reflectively correlate their behavior with our own projects and the world that lies between us.

Knudsen then employs this framework to present Heideggerian contributions to current debates on social cognition, collective intentionality, and social normativity. He also reinterprets Heidegger's famous concept of authenticity in the light of his social ontological commitments, demonstrating how Heidegger's affiliation with National Socialism contradicts his own insightful insights into the fundamental structure of social life.

In conclusion, Nicolai Knudsen's book rectifies the misconception that Heidegger had little to say about human sociality. Through his comprehensive analysis of Heidegger's ideas, Knudsen demonstrates that Heidegger's social ontology provides a rich and insightful framework for understanding human social relations and interactions. His contributions to these debates and reinterpretation of authenticity shed light on the complexities and nuances of social life, challenging readers to think critically about the nature of human sociality and its implications for our understanding of the world.

Weight: 592g
ISBN-13: 9781009100694