Part One: Basic Forms of Human Existence

Introduction

The introduction contrasts the objectifying nature of traditional psychology with the existential knowledge rooted in loving togetherness. It emphasizes that true understanding of existence comes from the interaction between “I” and “You.”

Chapter One: The Togetherness of Me and You – The We-ness in Loving

A. The Loving Togetherness

1. The Spatiality of Loving Togetherness
   • This section explores the problem of spatiality in love, contrasting it with the Cartesian concept of space as divisibility and movement. It argues that love transcends mere physical presence and involves a deeper, meaningful connection.
2. The Temporality of Loving Togetherness
   • Examines how love is not bound by the temporal decay associated with ordinary existence. Instead, it involves a unique temporal structure where lovers create space and freedom for each other.
3. Being-in-the-World as Worrying (Heidegger)
   • Discusses Heidegger’s concept of being-in-the-world, emphasizing that love, unlike ordinary concern, does not involve struggle or the assertion of power.
4. Being-in-the-World as Care: Being at Home as Love
   • Explores the idea of being at home in love, where spatial and temporal concerns are transcended by the mutual creation of a shared space.

Chapter Two: The Being-With of One and One (or the Change)

A. Personhood in the Sense of the With-We I-tlichen Contact or Traffic

1. Introduction
   • Introduces the concept of being-with, focusing on the interaction between individuals in a shared space.
2. The Take-at-Something
   • Examines various modes of interaction and perception, such as grasping, biting, and perceiving, and their implications for understanding human existence.
3. The Environmental Take-at-Something
   • Discusses the significance of different sensory interactions (e.g., hearing, seeing) and how they shape our understanding of the world and each other.
4. The With-Worldly Take-at-Something
   • Explores the ways in which our interactions within the world contribute to our understanding of existence and our relationships with others.

Chapter Three: Being-To-Ourself and the Actual Self-Being

A. The Problem of Self-Love

1. Philautia of Aristotle
   • Discusses Aristotle’s concept of self-love and its implications for understanding human existence.
2. Christian Self-Love
   • Examines the notion of self-love in Christian thought, particularly in the works of Augustine and his successors.
3. The Discursive Being-to-One-Self: The Personality in the Intrinsic Contact or Traffic
   • Explores the idea of selfhood and its development through interaction and understanding.

Part Two: On the Essence of the Knowledge of Existence

Introduction

Introduces the second part, focusing on the essence of existential knowledge and its relationship to love and care.

Chapter One: Overcoming the Contradiction of Love and Concern in the Knowledge of Existence

1. Love and Knowledge of Existence
   • Discusses the interplay between love and existential knowledge, emphasizing that true understanding comes from overcoming the dichotomy between love and concern.
2. Concern and Recognition of Existence
   • Explores how concern and recognition shape our understanding of existence and our interactions with the world.

Chapter Two: The Unfolding of the Knowledge of Existence

1. On the Gnoseology of Psychological Cognition
   • Examines the nature of psychological knowledge and its role in understanding human existence.
2. Encounter and Shape
   • Discusses the role of encounters and their forms in shaping our knowledge of existence.
3. Knowledge of Existence, Shape, and Idea
   • Explores the relationship between existential knowledge, forms, and ideas, drawing on various philosophical traditions.
4. The Truth of the Knowledge of Existence
   • Concludes with a discussion of the truth inherent in existential knowledge, referencing Kant, Hegel, Goethe, and others to illustrate the connection between phenomenology, love, and existential understanding.