Existence, Time, and Belonging

Abstract

This article develops a relational ontology centered on the concept of belonging as the fundamental condition of human existence. Building on the Philosophy of Belonging proposed by Carlos Federico Obregón Díaz, the work integrates philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and social theory to reinterpret temporality, narrative consciousness, and existential meaning. The paper distinguishes between synchronic time (cyclical, stabilizing) and diachronic time (irreversible, finite) and argues that human existence is best understood not as isolated being-toward-death, but as belonging-in-time. Contrary to classical existentialism,_toggle anguish and finitude as primary ontological categories, the article proposes that existential anxiety emerges mainly from disruptions in affective, social, and existential belonging. The study reconstructs the architecture of belonging through three interconnected pathways: affective belonging (love and attachment), social belonging (institutions, norms, and recognition), and existential belonging (nature, cosmos, spirituality, and meaning). It further develops the ethical and political implications of an ontology of belonging, particularly through the notion of the art of living and the construction of just institutions of belonging. By offering an interdisciplinary and scientifically grounded framework, the article contributes to contemporary debates in philosophical anthropology, existential ontology, recognition theory, and the ethics of relational life, positioning belonging as the ontological foundation of meaningful human existence.