Yu.M. Reznik The metaphysics of man: images of being

Abstract: The subject of study are human images that have taken shape in modern philos-ophy. The author proceeds from the assumption that the human image might be regarded in two dimensions: as «human» (human subjectivity) and as «superhuman» or meta-physical, manifested at various levels of his being, namely, semblance (possible being, being-as-seen) and seemingness (conditional being or being-as-if, pseudo-being as dis-tinct from true being), the objectively essential (whatness) and the subjectively essential (whoness). The metaphysical image proper that fixes the relationship with the transcen-dental world – the true-essential, is differentiated into authenticity (self-being) and oth-erness (other-being). In his study, the author is guided by the methodology of existential phenomenol- ogy. From this viewpoint he offers his interpretation of the phenomena of human exist-ence expressed by the notions «semblance» and «seemingness», «whatness» and «whoness», authenticity and otherness. The novelty of this work is in revealing a metaphysical dimension of human being that hides behind the layers of the properly «human» – human subjectivity, which is characterized by the tokens of thinking, freedom, creativity and reflexivity. At the latent level, the human image is expressed in terms of possible and conditional being. These, however, are but approaches to the main point. There is another essential level in the human being, which expresses his/her metaphysical essence – other-being.

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