Limit situation

An extreme situation is colloquially a " unusual situation in which not the usual means, measures to overcome them may apply ". As a philosophical term he first used in 1919 by Karl Jaspers in his psychology of worldviews. In existentialism Karl Jaspers, he indicates situations in which man final, inevitable and unmanageable reaches the limits of his being. It is the fearful experience of suffering, guilt, fate, fight, unreliability of the world, death and the ( contingent ) "in- situation - being itself ." There are " situations in which existence is realized immediately, last situations that can not be changed or circumvented. "

Origin of philosophy

After the amazement and doubt the borderline situations are the deeper origin of philosophy. From the boundary conditions is obtained for Karl Jaspers, the experience of transcendence. Man is repeatedly exposed to deep crises and leads her inevitably to its limits. It involves situations over which man does not addition, and he can not change. Old age, sickness and death can not be abolished.

Ciphers of transcendence

The selfhood can imagine the transcendence of the fact that ciphers speak to him. A significant cipher that speaks directly to the people, is the being in failure. Only in the real failure being is fully experienced. This takes place in the building of a world with the will to life, but with knowledge and risk of loss. Behind the failure is in His transcendence.

The jump to selfhood

In marginal situations, the person reacts either by concealment or by despair and recovery: The man comes to itself in the transformation of his being consciousness. For these situations, there is only an exemption if the person she accepts and very affirmative. In the extreme situation, the experience of transcendence is possible. To this end, a jump is required out of the despair and toward selfhood and freedom:

"The origin in border situations brings the basic drive to win the road to being in failure .... In the border situations, either displays nothing or it is felt, what is above all and despite disappearing Weltsein actually. "