Dasein

In the works of Heidegger, a German word for a Being that is interested in its own Being. Heidegger's Being and Time is an exploration of the notion of Dasein. Beings that are Dasein must balance their authentic selves, which is the private self elevated by art, contemplation, and mortality, and their inauthentic selves, which are their socially active selves, the natures of which are heavily determined by society. Both aspects must be balanced in order to be said to be Dasein.

It is thought by some that Heidegger's anti-Semitism stemmed from his belief that the Jews were not Dasein, due to their alleged voluntary segregation from society.

Hannah Arendt challenges much of Heidegger's concept of authenticity and inauthenticity, and his subsequent conclusions about the nature of the self in society in her incomplete Life of the Mind trilogy.