Wiktionary
n. (context philosophy English) being; especially the nature of being; existence, presence, hereness, suchness, essence
Wikipedia
Dasein is a German word which means "being there" or "presence" (German: da "there"; sein "being") often translated in English with the word "existence". It is a fundamental concept in the existential philosophy of Martin Heidegger, particularly in his magnum opus Being and Time. Heidegger uses the expression Dasein to refer to the experience of being that is peculiar to human beings. Thus it is a form of being that is aware of and must confront such issues as personhood, mortality and the dilemma or paradox of living in relationship with other humans while being ultimately alone with oneself.
Usage examples of "dasein".
Because of this last fact, Gilbert Dasein, a Berkeley psychologist, comes to the Santaroga Valley.
So it is with some eagerness that Dasein has accepted a commission from a large supermarket chain, whose advances have also been rebuffed by Santaroga, to carry out some marketing research there.
However, Dasein has an opening no other outsider has--his relationship with Jenny.
The story follows Dasein as he uncovers the Jaspers mystery and at the same time is pulled deeper and deeper into the strange web of Santaroga.
Two previous investigators have been killed in inexplicable but unquestionable accidents, and Dasein himself escapes death on several occasions.
The tension between Dasein as objectively trained outside investigator and Dasein as would-be Santarogan convert provides a philosophical story line to complement the solution of the Jaspers mystery.
At one point in the story, Dasein falls into a lake, knocking himself senseless on the side of a boat.
To those relying on this sense of inner connectedness, Dasein was almost invisible.
From his unique perspective at the edge of the Santarogan group identity, Dasein can see what the townspeople cannot, that Santaroga enforces conformity on its members just as the outside does.
Then, forgetting the purpose of his research, Dasein is moved by an irresistible, unconscious impulse and swallows the extract.
Santaroga to find out why Dasein has slipped away from his investigation, Dasein causes the accident that kills him.
The shock almost wakes old doubts, but testimony from the other Santarogans at the inquest convinces Dasein that he could not have done what he thought.
At the start of the novel, Dasein was as much conditioned by the outside viewpoint as he later is by the Santarogan.
Only the Santarogans in this room were fully conscious, Dasein thought.
This is an ironic repetition of an observation that Dasein had earlier cited as the Santarogan weakness.