Definition: Heidegger's concept of Mitsein, usualy translated as "being-with," refers to the fundamental fact of human existence that we are always already "with" others. The concept was first introduced in Heidegger's Being and Time and forms a central past in his phenomenology. What it means is that our experience of the world, of ourselves and of existence is always already shaped by our relations with other people and by the social and cultural contexts in which we find ourselves.
For Heidegger, Mitsein is not just a matter of being physically present with other people, but of being fundamentally intertwined with them in a way that is essential to our very being. We are always already "with" others in the sense that our thoughts, feelings, and actions are always already influenced by and directed towards them. Existence, in other words, is shared.
Examples of Mitsein / Being-with
One example of Mitsein can be seen in the way that we use language. When we speak, we do not simply express our own individual thoughts and ideas, but we also participate in a shared language and a shared way of understanding the world. In this way, language itself can be seen as a kind of "being-with," as it allows us to communicate and interact with others in a meaningful way (this point if further developed by Levinas).
Another example of Mitsein can be seen in the way that we engage in social practices and institutions. When we participate in activities like going to school, going to work, or engaging in leisure activities, we do not do so in isolation, but rather as part of a larger social group. These activities are not simply things that we do by ourselves, but are always already shaped by our relationships with others and by the shared norms and values of our society.
In summary, Heidegger's concept of Mitsein highlights the fact that human existence is fundamentally social and relational. Being is being with others, and we are always already "with" others in a way that is essential to our being and our experience of the world.
Heidegger's concept of mitsein is closley realted to his concept of Dasein and other themes like "care", "temporality" and "being-in-the-world.
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*This text was created with the aid of OpenAI’s GPT-3 model and modified by the author.