An entity is a thing. An Entity is an abstraction of that thing, specifically in the case of Dasein or the human brain what one might call a(n Entity) memory. Entities are in part the information held within our minds, but one should not be confused by attributing to them the qualities of computational information familiar to us with modern technology. Digital information may be stored in any manner yet has no meaning outside of human Interpretation, whereas the Entity has no meaning when taken out of the context in which it is stored. "Entities are, quite independently of the experience by which they are disclosed, the acquaintance in which they are discovered, and the grasping in which their nature is ascertained …" Being and Time, H.183 This means that an Entity is defined by the manner in which it is created and retrieved. Meaning is held in the Interpretation of a thing; digital data is interpreted after it has been retrieved and presented, but our memories are Interpreted in the process of recollection. In an abstract sense it may help to visualise the Entities as having the qualities defined by the Stoics; monism, materialism and mutation. Monism: Within the Function of Dasein are held many Entities, and they are individual; the foundation of an Entity is its signification of a single thing as perceived by Dasein's Interpretation of its senses. Materialism: Entities are interrelated in the world in which they are encountered. For example, "the sky is blue," and in order that the Entities themselves reflect what they signify they are connected in the manner in which they are encountered. Thus, Entities representative of "sky" and "blue" share connections within the Interpretive pathways of Dasein. Mutation: Entities can only be defined by changes in their interrelations, such that a new connection between Entities is maintained for purposes of future Interpretation; recollection. Of course, as mentioned in the evolutionary origin of Entities in the Primer, the concept of the Entity is intrinsically linked to that of Interpretation. Summary An Entity within Dasein is a representation of a thing encountered within-the-World and gains meaning not through an "external" objectification but through the interrelations it makes with other Entities in-the-World, the totality of which amounts to the Being-in-the-World of each individual Entity. Created 25th June 2008 Last revised 10th December 2008 |