Temporality and the Possibility of Self: A Heideggerian Activity Model

 This post introduces a conceptual model inspired by Heidegger’s notion of Temporality, framing the self not as a static entity but as a dynamic possibility shaped by activity. The diagram maps the reciprocal relationship between the person and temporality, and how temporality projects into past and present activity. It offers a structural lens for understanding Dasein’s unfolding through time—not as chronology, but as existential orientation.

Modeling Based on 西研『哲学は対話する』

Entity Name	Description
Person	The existential subject (Dasein) whose being is defined by its temporal unfolding.
Temporality	The horizon of self-possibility, enabling projection into past and present modes of being.
Activity	The enacted expression of temporality, comprising both past and present engagements.
Past Activity	Retained actions and experiences that shape the horizon of possibility.
Present Activity	Current enactments that actualize projected possibilities.

By modeling temporality as the possibility of self projected through activity, this framework echoes Heidegger’s insight that Dasein is always ahead of itself, already in the world, and constituted by care. It invites reflection on how past and present actions are not merely events, but existential expressions.