Being and Time - Analysis

First paragraph, central thought:

- The questions of metaphysics (beyond physics)

Metaphysics is related to questions of religion. In particular, which belief is rationally justified, and what makes a good belief.

- This question has been trivialized

Second paragraph, central thought:

- It talks about Being as the fundamental metaphysical question

Explanatory thought: The question of Being occurs to be appropriate for a metaphysical investigation. Simply asking for the beyond would be impossible, since we are finite creatures that cannot supersede their horizon of thinking. For this reason, we ask for the limits of our thinking. The known limit of our thinking is Being.

- Being: It is trivialized as the emptiest thought, the most general concept.

Third paragraph

- Our understanding is based on concept that were delivered to us through history
- The impact our thinking. Therefore, we have to clarify how they influence us.

1st prejudice:

Being is the most universal concept.

We have to keep in mind that this is a prejudice. This means there are contradictions that emerge if we say that being is in everything the same. (example of Being as the same substance in two different things attributes two properties to Being that are contradictory.)

The prejudice reduces Being to a being that is in everything. Being, however, is more.

2nd prejudice:

Being is undefinable because we cannot use the standard way of how we usually define. This means that we cannot use genus and specific difference. But this does not imply that we cannot talk about Being.

The reason why there is no definition of being and why there is a limit to Being is what Being is.

3rd prejudice

Being is self-evident

that means Being is in everything we do and everyone has an implicit understanding.

A closer examination, however, will reveal that the unclarity of Being is the fundamental concern of our lives.