Care (Sorge)
Care (Sorge) is Martin Heidegger’s term for the fundamental structure of Dasein’s being. To exist as Dasein is to care — not in the sense of kindness or concern for others (though that is one mode of care) but in the ontological sense of being involved with, concerned about, and engaged with one’s own existence and the world. Care is the unifying structure that holds together all the dimensions of Dasein.
The Structure of Care
Heidegger analyzes care as having three interrelated dimensions, corresponding to temporality:
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Thrownness (Geworfenheit) — The “already” dimension. Dasein is always already delivered into a world, a situation, a historical moment not of its choosing. This is the dimension of the past, the given, the factical.
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Projection (Entwurf) — The “not yet” dimension. Dasein is always ahead of itself, oriented toward possibilities, projecting into the future. To exist is to be always already engaged in possibilities, choosing (or failing to choose) how to be.
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Fallenness (Verfallen) — The “present” dimension. Dasein is absorbed in the everyday world, caught up in the immediate concerns, routines, and distractions of the “they” (das Man). This is not a moral failing but a structural feature of existence.
These three dimensions are not separate but unified in care. To care is to be simultaneously thrown (shaped by the past), projecting (oriented toward the future), and fallen (absorbed in the present).
Care as Ontological, Not Psychological
Heidegger is careful to distinguish care (Sorge) from psychological states like worry, anxiety, or compassion. Care is not a feeling or attitude but the ontological structure of existence itself. Even indifference or apathy is a mode of care — a way of being concerned (or refusing to be concerned) with one’s being.
Care is what makes Dasein’s being an issue for Dasein. To exist is to care about existing — not necessarily in the sense of valuing life but in the sense that existence matters, is at stake, cannot be neutral.
Relevance for Relational Thought
For relational and somatic practitioners, Heidegger’s concept of care provides a philosophical grounding for understanding presence and engagement. To be present is to care — to be genuinely involved with what is happening, with the other, with the situation. Care is not a technique or attitude one adopts but the fundamental structure of being-there.
Connections
- Martin Heidegger — Developed the concept in Being and Time.
- Being and Time — The foundational text.
- Dasein — Care is the structure of Dasein’s being.
- Being-in-the-world — Care is how Dasein is in the world.
- Thrownness — One dimension of care.
- Existentialism — Care is central to existential thought.