ABSTRACT
Phenomenology’s central insight is that affectivity is not an inconsequential or contingent characteristic of human existence. Emotions, moods, sentiments, and feelings are not accidents of human existence. Heidegger’s phenomenological account of affect is both novel and important. Moreover, it can be instructive both within the phenomenological tradition and also more generally within the context of conceptual and empirically informed studies of emotion. Befindlichkeit is a basic ontological structure of human existence that makes it possible for human beings to find themselves in the world in a way that holds meaning for and thus matters to them. Though Heidegger and Sartre adopt importantly different perspectives on affectivity, they both insist that it is a constitutive part of human existence. Furthermore, through their respective accounts, they highlight phenomenology’s ability to bring into clear view the significance of our affective experiences.
