Abstract

I use phenomenology to interpret the distinctive character of our human reality with a goal of determining how we can live in order to answer to our inherent needs. I distinguish three basic ways we can comport ourselves in living our lives: “security,” “preparation,” and “readiness.” I argue that readiness is the healthy ful????illment of our needs as free beings. I argue that such readiness is a continuation of the natural enthusiasm for engaging with the world manifested by children, and I associate this with the Greek notion of erōs. I then consider the process of growth from childhood to adulthood to show how we develop and become habituated to practices of self-interpretation that undermine our healthy development, and I consider how this relates to the distinctive problems of capitalist culture, in particular. I conclude by considering again the phenomenological interpretation of our human reality in order to determine what the ultimate view of reality is that is implied by this position.