The Human Situation

Since the beginning of conscious thought the human animal has questioned the meaning of its existence. Although qualified in numerous ways by time and circumstance, the question has remained. In modern times it has assumed an unusual urgency due to the disintegration of self-understanding caused in part by the Industrial Revolution and the destruction and degradation of this century’s wars. We ask again, “What is the nature of human life?” “What qualifies as a meaningful life?” and “How shall we come to understand ourselves in the future?”

Using the resources of anthropology, biological research, ad philosophy to plumb the essence of humanity, The Human Situation renews this quest for understanding. Gerh Haeffner leads the reader through an examination of the different levels of human consciousness, beginning with the techniques of biology and the human sciences. Through this approach the reader is progressively made aware of the central question of “What is it to be human?” and is led to an understanding of the unity of human life, the central realities of conscience and freedom, and finally the question of the meaning of life. Other considerations include the basic dimensions of human existence, the mental element of the act, and the unity of human life and its meaning.

This work is an excellent general introduction to philosophical anthropology for students in a variety of disciplines, with emphasis on developing issues and problems with a phenomenological method rather than presenting its material within a formal historical framework. Though dealing with concepts that are challenging and demanding, the writing is never technical and is appropriate for undergraduates.

Gerd Haeffner is emeritus professor of philosophical anthropology and the history of philosophy at Hochschule für Philosophie, Munich. He is the author of Heideggers Begriff der Metaphysik.

Eric Watkins is professor of philosophy at University of California, San Diego.