Shapeability. Revisiting Heidegger’s concept of being in the Anthropocene

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of whether beings in Heidegger can affect each other and the significance of this phenomenon for their being and the own-most. It seems that Heidegger’s concept of being lacks the dimensions of shaping and being shaped. However, it is possible to revise his concepts of fundamental structures of being, such as temporality and worldliness, thereby creating the structure of “shapeability”, which would not be limited to human beings. This, in turn, can help elucidate one of the key dilemmas of the Anthropocene related to setting the boundary between footprint and harm.