Man, Subject, and Dasein according to Martin Heidegger

Abstract

This article explores Martin Heidegger’s critique of the modern conception of the "Subject" and his introduction of the concept of Dasein. The author begins by examining the Cartesian cogito, which established human autonomy by making the "Ego" the center of a disenchanted world and reducing the world to a measurable object of the intellect. Vertzagia analyzes how Heidegger rejects this "Subject-Object" dichotomy, arguing that it arbitrarily attributes a value and purpose to humans that is not grounded in their actual essence. The study details the fundamental structure of Dasein as "Being-in-the-world" (In-der-Welt-sein), emphasizing that humans are not isolated observers but are always already embedded in a meaningful context. By deconstructing the modern "Subjecthood," the paper illustrates Heidegger’s effort to reclaim the question of Being and to understand the human condition as "being-for-the-world" rather than a master over it.