THE SOCIAL RELEVANCE OF HEIDEGGER’S PHENOMENOLOGY OF BEING

Abstract

The discussion on Being as a traditional metaphysical discourse explores issues surrounding reality, what can be known and discussed about it, and how its epistemology can be applied in practical life situations. As characteristic of most scholarly opinions on metaphysical discourses, Being has been seen as an abstract phenomenon which can at best constitute intellectual entertainment and have little or no bearing on human existential situations. Adopting the method of analysis, this paper examines the questions on Being from a phenomenological perspective and argues that the ontic classification of being, which is very restrictive, is the reason for the impractical appellation used in the description of being. It is therefore the position of this paper that Heidegger’s phenomenology of being transcends traditional ontological discussion of being and therefore has a lot of contributions to make in different areas of
human existence; ranging from handling religious conflicts through to addressing discrimination on the efficacy and acceptability of alternative medicines as complementary to orthodox medicines to the controversies in the methodological issues in seeming theoretical disciplines as against scientific ones. It concluded that Heidegger’s phenomenology of being creates possibilities rather than stifling reality, and this orientation creates room for the transformation of metaphysical discourses into social and existential issues in human situations.