Yes, the “givens” of life are handled under the circumstances framework. TST uses circumstances in place of facticity. Instead of treating all “given” facts as one bucket, TST distinguishes birth, past, current, and future. This gives the moral agent a clearer map of what was given, what cannot be changed, what can be influenced now, and what may be coming next.
Birth circumstances are the particular conditions into which you were born, including both your personal starting facts and the existential givens of being human.
What did I start with?
You did not choose your starting point: your body, ancestry, birthplace, early family, or the historical moment into which you arrived. These shape the field in which your life begins. A human baby can become an adult human, but not a tiger.
Past circumstances are the already-happened facts of your life.
What past experiences still influence me today?
You may reinterpret, learn, heal, or respond to them differently, but you cannot go back in time. They are part of the already-written portion of your life.
Current circumstances are the present conditions of your life.
What is true now, and what can I control, influence, accept, resist, or change?
A person exists in a current state, with properties, relationships, conditions, and constraints in place. They must be examined through the Dichotomy of Control. Some are outside your control and must be accepted or endured. Some are within your influence and can be guided, changed, improved, resisted, or left behind.
Future circumstances are the possible conditions you are moving toward.
What am I anticipating, fearing, or hoping for?
In TST, existential givens are a special subset of birth circumstances. They are the heart and soul of existentialism. The circumstances framework gives you overall control with special analysis of your existential givens.
