Existence and Time

Existence and Time: Philosophical and Scientific Inquiry is an interdisciplinary philosophical work that integrates ontology, philosophy of time, and contemporary science in order to address the classical questions: Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? and Where are we going? The book argues that philosophical inquiry can no longer rely exclusively on deductive reasoning or abstract metaphysics, but must be grounded in the advances of modern science. Drawing from physics (relativity, cosmology, thermodynamics), evolutionary biology (Darwinian evolution, genetics, DNA), neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and social theory, the manuscript develops a comprehensive ontological framework in which existence, time, and belonging are inseparable dimensions of human reality. A central thesis of the book is that human thought has historically oscillated between two major conceptions of time: 1. Cyclical and/or repeatable time, associated with essentialism, stability, and universal order. 2. Directional and irreversible time, associated with finitude, evolution, historical change, and existential anxiety. While much of philosophical tradition has privileged cyclical time and essentialist metaphysics, and modern existentialism has emphasized irreversibility and anxiety, this work proposes that human existence unfolds simultaneously within both temporal structures. At the core of this synthesis lies the concept of belonging. Human beings are biologically and evolutionarily structured to belong: to close others, to the social group, and to the biological and material universe that surrounds them. Belonging is not merely emotional or social; it is an ontological and evolutionary condition for the development of consciousness, meaning, and psychological stability. Existential anxiety, often treated as an unavoidable feature of human finitude, is here analyzed as historically intensified under specific cultural and institutional conditions that weaken belonging. The book therefore reframes existential ontology by situating individuality, temporality, and mortality within a broader relational structure grounded in evolutionary science. Ultimately, existence is inseparable from time, and time is inseparable from belonging. Human beings exist simultaneously in a directional temporal flow that leads to death and in a cyclical relational structure that connects them to the continuity of life and the cosmos. This work offers a systematic reconstruction of ontology in light of contemporary science and proposes belonging as a foundational category for understanding human existence.