Heidegger: An Introduction

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Philosophy 20th century

by: Richard F. H. Polt

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...a lively and accessible introduction to one of the most influential and intellectually demanding philosophers of the modern era. Covering the entire range of Heidegger's thought, Polt skillfully communicates the essence of the philosopher, enabling readers, especially those new to his writings, to approach his works with confidence and insight. Polt presents the questions Heidegger grappled with and the positions he adopted, and also analyzes persistent points of difference between competing schools of interpretation.
The book begins by exploring Heidegger's central concern, the question of Being, and his way of doing philosophy. After considering his environment, personality, and early thought, it carefully takes readers through his best-known work, Being and Time. Heidegger concludes with highlights of its subject's later thought, providing guidelines for understanding Contributions to Philosophy and other important texts. It gives special attention to the philosopher's political involvement with the Nazis in the 1930s, indicating the strengths and weaknesses of the reactions to his politics, reactions ranging from exculpation to complete condemnation.

This book is intended as a supplement to Being and Time; this book also provides interesting details on Heidegger's biography and political life and surveys some of the philosopher's later writings. Although the author's descriptions of Heidegger's methodology and vocabulary and his analyses of sections from Being and Time purport to make Heidegger's thinking accessible to first-time readers, it is unclear how this rephrasing and simplifying makes reading Being and Time more engaging. In fact, author's paraphrases of Heidegger often result in dry descriptions and distortions of the text. For example, in order to clarify the relationship between Heidegger's "moment of vision" and authentic existence, author offers the cliched example of a mechanic, which makes the "moment of vision" appear to be a rather empty concept: "In an authentic moment of vision, he sees his current situation and understands that it forms part of his life. The repair shop is not just his place of work: it is the arena in which he is improvising the drama of his life story." It is hard to escape the impression that the author's attempt to make reading Heidegger easier -- by reducing the concepts of Being and Time to commonplaces -- ultimately obscures the task of authentic thinking.

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Reviews:

Of all the Heidegger intro books, this may be the most helpful, especially for later Heidegger stuff, which has been much more of an enigma than the (early) Heidegger of Being and Time. Author doesn't pretend to ignore difficulties, nor is his approach "analytic" (unless this means "clear"). Too long Heidegger has suffered from acolytes who aspire to imitate his style. Polt's approach is that of a teacher, a very good one, which is to say, he helps one make progress on one's own with the subject itself.

Topics include: New York, Basic Writings, Dasein's Being, Martin Heidegger, Indiana University Press, Being of Dasein, The Basic Problems of Phenomenology, History of the Concept of Time, National Socialism, The Metaphysical Foundations of Logic, University of Freiburg, Plato's Sophist, The Question Concerning Technology, United States, Karl Jaspers, Philosophical Apprenticeships, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, New Jersey, The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics, Building Dwelling Thinking, Critique of Pure Reason, Logical Investigations, The Heidegger Controversy, Black Forest, Die IdeeNew York, Basic Writings, Dasein's Being, Martin Heidegger, Indiana University Press, Being of Dasein, The Basic Problems of Phenomenology, History of the Concept of Time, National Socialism, The Metaphysical Foundations of Logic, University of Freiburg, Plato's Sophist, The Question Concerning Technology, United States, Karl Jaspers, Philosophical Apprenticeships, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, New Jersey, The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics, Building Dwelling Thinking, Critique of Pure Reason, Logical Investigations, The Heidegger Controversy, Black Forest, Die Idee

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