IntroductionMartin Heidegger (1889-1976) is a contemporary German philosopher of the 20th century. Noted for being a gifted thinker, Heidegger contributed to more than one field, namely phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, political theory, psychology and theology. 'Being and Time', his first work is recognized as the most important of all his works. It is in Being and Time that Heidegger introduces the term Dasein to explain being. Heidegger adopts a non-metaphysical and coherent way of thinking to explain being without reducing it to a scientific phenomenon. Reading Heidegger's Philosophy Heidegger uses some philosophical terms in an unconventional sense. His philosophy is best understood when the reader personally relates to the description. Dasein Heidegger believes that human existence is based on the fact that we are always in a "world". He emphasizes that human existence is inseparable from a context, which in this case is called “world”. This is a new insight, considering the point of view of rationalists. For Descartes, for example, only the “mind” exists. existence is associated with the ability to think. Descartes' "mind" will think and feel, even if the whole world were just an illusion. But Heidegger argues that having thoughts and feelings is only possible when human beings are involved in an " world". Human beings are a kind of entity called "Dasein". "Dasein" literally means "existence" or "being there" ("Da" stands for "there" and "Sein" stands for "to be") in German. The reason for this choice of the word "Dasein" is to emphasize "being in the world" as opposed to simply "being". The 'there' in 'Dasein' is the place (the world) where 'Dasein' learns. to co... middle of paper... an efficient insight to show its appropriateness in the world For example, using a knife to sharpen a pencil would not be considered appropriate. The relationship that this world, as described above, has with Dasein is that the world provides Dasein with potential ways of being. The world allows itself to be encountered by an entity, so that it can play a role in the world. In conclusion, the world is where Dasein identifies a 'for-which' it lives, where it continually shapes its being, where its actions make intuitive sense, and where it can finally achieve its being. References1. How to read Heidegger, Mark Wrathall2. Being and Time, trans. J. Macquarie and E. Robinson3. Internet encyclopedia of philosophy, Martin Heidegger (http://www.iep.utm.edu/heidegge/)4. Wikipedia, Martin Heidegger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_heidegger)