The Fullfillment Of Existenz

'Existenz' is a concept very essential in Karl Jaspers' philosophy, by which he means the absolute and inner essence of Man, that is, an individual understanding himself in the status of freedom when confronted with the Transcendence. The nature of Existenz, indeed is a kind of possibility. Individuals seek the true fulfillment of it through resolution in their historical situation. In the process of the fulfillment, Existenz enkindles its potential incessantly, acquires its inner certainty, permeates itself in the vast space of Encompassing.In this dissertation, I argued that in Jaspers' philosophy, the process of the fulfillment of Existenz based on its own freedom and historicity can be divided into three key factors, namely, Reason, Communication and Transcendence. By the first, Existenz is expressed and my Existenz and others are linked; by the second, my Existenz and others are elicited and brought into being due to each other; by the third, Existenz find its final homeland and support. In other words, by the role of Reason, an individual in Existenz communicates with other individuals horizontally, who are also in Existenz, and with Transcendence vertically. Thus an unlimited structure of immateriality comes into being, in which Existenz is fulfilled. This is the main points of the fulfillment of Existenz, therefore, I divide my argument into four parts.In the first part, the purpose of the fulfillment of Existenz is discussed in the horizon of the Encompassing: The Encompassing manifests itself in many modes. Existenz is one of them, it make difference with other modes in that it is the source of the meaning of them. Existenz is the inner life of individual's empirical existence, consciousness as such and spirit; without Existenz, The World will mean the diversity of inumerable things lacking oneness; without Existenz, the invisible Transcendence will not reveal its Being to Man. Therefore, the significance of the fulfillment of Existenz is to lighten the Encompassing space with the light of Existenz, or , in other words, Existenz enrich and expand itself in the unlimited space and in all modes of the Encompassing. This is the purpose of the fulfillment of Existenz.In the second chapter, the mechanism of Existenz itself is explored. Individual Existenz itself has two inner mechanisms for its fulfillment: Freedom and Historicity. The former is the possibility of the fulfillment of Existenz, the latter the certainty. Freedom, as the essential identity of Existenz, is the fundamental impetus for itsfulfillment. Freedom is Existenz's resolution in historical situation which makes every moment eternal. Freedom is the inner necessity of self-being. Based on this necessity, Existenz can utilize and exceed all sorts of exterior necessity, forming itself in time unceasingly. Freedom can break through any fixed state of Existenz and make it expand and fulfill infinitely in the space of Encompassing. On the other hand, historicity forms the certainty of Existenz in the process of fulfillment, the certainty is embodied in two aspects: historicity is the union of empirical existence and Existenz, the union of moment and eternity. By historicity, Existenz acquires the increasing inner certainty in the flow of time, in the changing and complicated world. Of course , the certainty is not fixed and closed , but indefinitely opened. In a word, the fulfillment of Existenz is developed through the tensions of indefinite possibility derived from freedom and certainty ensued by historicity.In the third chapter, the roles of reason are discussed. Though reason itself is empty and formal, and absent of real material with which individual Existenz can be fulfilled, the fulfillment of Existenz can not be carried out without it. In this chapter, firstly, the nature of Existenz , namely, the will of seeking boundless unity is explained. Reason unites all modes of Encompassing, Truth and Communication. The union ensure the oneness of Existential fulfillment when one is doomed to meet numerous objects and events in the World , at the same time , the indefinite movement of Reason can spur the reluctance of Existential fulfillment. Then, the dialectic relation between Existenz and Reason .Existenz only becomes clear through Reason, at the same time, Reason gains its content only through Existenz. Therefore, Reason has formal function for the fulfillment of Existenz, but this function has its limit. In Jaspers' view, the fundamental order of human's Existenz is formed crudely in the early history, similar to ecclesiastic revelation, it cannot be analyzed and understood by human beings' intelligence. The application of Reason must have a limit, its formality cannot be extended to man's world indefinitely. Otherwise, the ground of human being would be shaken. Lastly, though ordinary language can not grasp Existenz completely, the content of Existenz cannot be uttered and transmitted without language. Through Reason, Existenz can be elucidated in three ways : theinversion of particular and general------in ordinary objective proposition, thesignificance of the proposition is in its generality, but in the proposition referring to Existenz, the importance of the proposition is in the contents of Existenz awaken from the inner of individual, the form of generality is just a cause outside; the method oflogical circles------though seeming as bad in understanding, expresses thesignificance of Existenz; affirmation of paradoxes-------though seeming ascontradictory in understanding, is in union with one another in Existenz.In the fourth chapter, the role of Communication on fulfillment of Existenz is discussed. By virtue of the linkage and representation of Existenz coming from Reason, it is possible for individuals to communicate with one another. Existenz must come into the process of Communication, for, if we say the role of Reason on Existential fulfillment is in its formality, then the role of Communication is that it create intrinsic content to it. Being communicative , Existenz achieves its fulfillment in the process of Communication. There are three kinds of communication contrary to the authentic communication of Existenz: that of empirical existence, that of consciousness as such, and that of spirit. But they are indispensable with the fulfillment of the authentic Existenz. Existenz itself is immaterial , it must live in them if it wants to fulfill itself. It is necessary for the existential self to apply the three communications in dealing with their world, so far as they live in this world. Apart from them, Existenz loses reality at once. The significance of existential fulfillment is in that it overcomes and gives meaning to the above mentioned communication. The essence of authentic communication, in the sense of Existenz, is displayed in its non-empirical, in loneliness and communicating, in the love struggle, in the commonwealth of Existenz, and its truth. Non-empirical is the remarkable feature of the communication of Existenz; loneliness, its preparation and taste; the struggle, the yield of the contents of it; the commonwealth, its extension; the truth, the confirmation of its contents , and the entry to the Encompassing.The last and fifth chapter is mainly with reference to the discussion of the concept of Transcendence—it has a finally supporting role on the fulfillment of Existenz. Fundamentally, human being is a kind of finite being, it cannot get the ground of its being and truth from itself, so it must transcend itself, get spring from it. Firstly, the fundamental relationship between Existenz and the Transcendence, Existenz is the threshold toward the Transcendence, the Transcendence lies in the most depth of Existenz , the Transcendence as absolute reality is a leap from potential and imperfect Existenz. The role of the Transcendence about existential fulfillment, the role of supporting and inclusiveness, is embodied as follows: 1) Existenz and the reading of cipher: Transcendence is invisible in itself, but everything in this world can be a cipher for its manifestation. It can be understood by a self through the awareness...