How did Karl Jaspers use rational clarification to study human existence?

Karl Jaspers, a prominent German existentialist, utilized the method of rational clarification of existence to explore the nature of human being. Rather than viewing existence as a static object of scientific study, Jaspers approached it as a dynamic quest for Being.12

His method is defined by several key principles:

• Dual Poles: Jaspers maintained that human existence is defined by the interplay between existence and reason. He argued that existence is humanity's effort toward rational self-understanding, universalizing, and communicating.2
• Communication: He posited that reason becomes manifest and real when it arrives at itself "with, through and by" another existence. This process of communication is essential for the individual to realize their freedom of being.23
• Incompleteness: Jaspers recognized that this rational activity is never fully consummated. When the impossibility of achieving a final, complete understanding is reached, the process shifts into faith—a recognition of transcendence as the only possibility for final achievement.24
• Beyond Science: While his philosophy presupposed science, Jaspers sought to move beyond its boundaries to illuminate the totality of human existence, focusing on the individual’s freedom to realize their potentiality in the world.3