ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an argument that Martin Heidegger's attempt to differentiate human from animal is to be understood only within the framework of a fundamental question, the meaning of being in general. It discusses that logos as the medium that arises out of the practices of a historical people and that colors all of the people's factical experiences. Heidegger's lifelong project is ultimately concerned with the "event" that allows people to see the hierarchical distinction between human and animal. Heidegger's characterization of animal life perpetuates the humanistic and anthropocentric prejudices that have long held sway in the Western philosophical tradition. The lectures of Heidegger fortifies that account of the animal as impoverished, but what is largely missing in the critiques of Heidegger's alleged humanism is an attempt to situate the discussion within the overall project. In lecture about "Thinking", Heidegger remarks that, although animals have organs that can grasp things, do not have hands.
