Sharin N. Elkholy: The Two Sides of Nothing: Heidegger's Ontology of Community

Organized by the Department of Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences

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Dr. Sharin N. Elkholy:
The Two Sides of Nothing: Heidegger's Ontology of Community

Abstract
I explore the ontological foundation for friendship and community through Heidegger' discussion of Angst in Being and Time. Contrary to the standard reading of authenticity, I will argue that authenticity, ushered in by the Angst of confronting one's death, marks not the moment of individual self-possession but rather possibility of finding one's self in a community with others. I will also draw on the principle of Anarchy and Taoism to help explain how Heidegger's model of community has two sides: one side that welcomes the other unconditionally, and a different side that excludes those who are differently attuned to one's world.

Biography
Sharin N. Elkholy is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Houston—Downtown. Her research interests are in the intersections of phenomenology, ontology, and philosophy as a way of life. She is author of Philosophy Wise: Timeless Ideas for a Meaningful Life, the accompanying Philosopher’s Deck, Heidegger and a Metaphysics of Feeling: Angst and the Finitude of Being, and editor of The Philosophy of the Beats.