Identity, finitude, and recognition in Martin Heidegger's ontology of finite possibility

Abstract

This paper points to the relation between the notions offinitude and existential identity as indicated by Heidegger's project of a hermeneutic ontology. Starting with a modal formulation of the finitude that has its roots in the concept of existential possibility, the paper shows that a existential notion of personal identity entails a formative process marked by a basic negativity. The text concludes with a brief note on a possible meaning of a existential notion of recognition, which should not be constructed in the main field of human interactions but in the situation of belonging to a history of ontological possibilities.