Existence and Being

by Martin Heidegger

Heidegger's study of the essence of metaphysics--ontology and poetry--with a brief outline of his career.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

369 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) was a German philosopher whose work is perhaps most readily associated with phenomenology and existentialism, although his thinking should be identified as part of such philosophical movements only with extreme care and qualification. His ideas have exerted a seminal influence on the development of contemporary European philosophy. They have also had an impact far beyond philosophy, for example in architectural theory (see e.g., Sharr 2007), literary criticism (see e.g., Ziarek 1989), theology (see e.g., Caputo 1993), psychotherapy (see e.g., Binswanger 1943/1964, Guignon 1993) and cognitive science (see e.g., Dreyfus 1992, 2008; Wheeler 2005; Kiverstein and Wheeler forthcoming).

Reviews

[Julio The Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Reading Heidegger is like listening to James Thurber's Mad Grandmother. Ninety percent of what he says is being beamed from outer space and the other ten percent is pure genius".---British urban geographer David Harvey, in conversation with me

Perhaps it was inevitable that the two most influential philosophers of the twentieth century had to be a German anti-Semite, Martin Heidegger, and an Austrian Jew, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Curiously, there is no evidence these two men ever knew the other existed. EXISTENCE AND BEING is the most important and accessible introduction to the man who, in his own words, had "restored philosophy to its proper function, explaining what it is to be". (As opposed to Wittgenstein, who wanted to end philosophy.) In the tradition of his epigone, Jean-Paul Sartre, the Introduction to this volume is longer than the text itself. Heidegger explains how humans lost touch with Being once they began to treat beings as objects and the earth as a giant mining colony. After the Fall from the pre-Socratic paradise came the loss of language as a way of clear thinking and communication: "The world is darkening". Much like Ezra Pound, Heidegger aims to restore purity to language, using the ancient Greeks and modern poetry for inspiration. Down with the advert! Down with the text messaging! Heidegger can be ponderous, in the Teutonic tradition of philosophizing, yet for a one-time Nazi he remains a revolutionary source for those who wish to abolish late capitalism and hail its discontents.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a good time reading this (bewilderment and all). Will return to this one again later.

Solid summary/analysis of “Being and Time,” but the summary/analysis of “The Four Essays” follows a labyrinthine sequence of sidewinding trails doubling back on essays previously or yet to be discussed.

The Four Essays themselves made a pleasant introduction to Heidegger’s writings, and the endnotes provide quality observations and clarifications.