Definitions HQ

A Thing (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as 'ta chremata', a thing insofar as it is in use and at our constant disposal.

A Thing (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as 'ta mathemata', a thing insofar as . ..

A Thing (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as 'ta physica', a thing insofar as it originates and comes forth from itself.

A Thing (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as 'ta poioumena', a thing insofar as it is produced by the human hand and stands as such.

A Thing (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as 'ta pragmata', a thing insofar as it is practical, and insofar as we have to do with it at all.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠defined not by the question 'what is a thing'' Which ultimately is a metaphysical question much along the lines of 'where is the dog'' This formulation begs the question, 'whose dog' In what sense'.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠neither a piece of physical mass (as naturalism has it) nor appearances in consciousness (as phenomenology would have it) but an event.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not simply an object for consciousness. It is an event. If we say 'there is a city called beirut, it is not simply a series of appearances in consciousness... rather, it is an independent event just as all things that exist have the character of events.

A Thing's (n.) true ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠being is a kind of absence. When, for example, we describe a candle, there is always something more to it than whatever we see or say. It always withdraws from human view into a shadowy background, even when we stare directly at them.

A Thing (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in its true being, actually a kind of absence rather than a kind of presence; a hammer is most what it is when it is when we are hammering away, when the hammer withdraws into the project, and becomes invisible to us in the midst of the task we are absorbed in (i.e securing the beam or, still broader, building the home).

The Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a “mirror-play” or “wedding” of all four terms, which reflect one another at all times in all places. “The thing things.” It is an event that gathers the four, each of them mirroring the others. The thing is a unity of the four, and this unity can also be called world.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠meaningful only because human Dasein has the structure o care.

The Thing's (n.) true ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠reality is not visible, but hides from conscious view.

The Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not to be reduced to something produced or represented from the outside. The jug that holds and pours the wine is reduced by science to nonexistence; science sees the acts of holding and pouring as later properties that arise from the underlying reality of physical matter. In this way, science destroyed the thing long before the atom bomb made all things vulnerable.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not an object made up of visible properties that we see with our eyes, but an environment in which all objects gain their meaning only in their relations with one another, belonging to a total system of meaning.

A Thing (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠once produced, free of its producer and able to stand in itself; even the producer who built it no longer has full control of it, and of course the jug continues to exist even when the producer is dead.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an event, not a perceptual or physical occurrence. It is a “how,” not a “what.” In other words, things cannot be reduced to a list of traits and qualities that might be found in a dictionary.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not an object: instead, it has significance, which means that it belongs to a system of relations with other things in the environment.

A Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠both absent and present, and its presence depends on what is encountering it. For a dog, a baby, an ant, or a parrot, most of the hammer’s usual properties are not there at all.

The Thing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠encountered only from in the midst of life, and mostly by taking it for granted.