Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics: World, Finitude, Solitude FROM THE PUBLISHER
This book, the text of Martin Heidegger's lecture course of 1929/30, is crucial for an understanding of Heidegger's transition from the major work of his early years, Being and Time, to his later preoccupations with language, truth, and history. First published in German in 1983 as volume 29/30 of Heidegger's collected works, The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics presents an extended treatment of the history of metaphysics and an elaboration of a philosophy of life and nature. Heidegger's concepts of organism, animal behavior, and environment are uniquely developed and defined with intensity. Of major interest is Heidegger's brilliant phenomenological description of the mood of boredom, which he describes as a "fundamental attunement" of modern times.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
In these lectures, which noted German philosopher Heidegger gave in 1929-30 at a turning point in his thought, the aim is to show how Western philosophy went wrong. Heidegger says "Being" was confused with "beings," and philosophers, especially medieval philosophers, made even God into something cozy. But passive acceptance of irrationality is precisely what needs to be understood if we are to grasp the horrors of our time: it is at the heart of the problem that made Heidegger, a sensitive, intelligent man who took up Nazism, an embarrassment to philosophy. And so these lectures are very important. Some of the text is straightforward, but much of it concerns what the translators (not unreasonably) render as "boredom," though it is really about how time intrudes in human affairs. The "boredom" discussion is hard to follow, but it may well be at the back of what Hannah Arendt called the "banality of evil." The translators, Chicago and Oxford academics, write clearly, though the Germanic heaviness of the prose will not endear it to English readers. Primarily for academic collections.-Leslie Armour, Univ. of Ottawa
Booknews
First published in German in 1983 by Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt am Main as volume 29/30 of Heidegger's collected works, the present work comprises the text of the philosopher's lecture course of 1929-1930. Among other things, it offers an extended treatment of the history of metaphysics and provides a crucial transition between the major works of Heidegger's early years and his later preoccupations with language, truth, and history. No index, bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Whoever thought that Heidegger . . . has no surprises left in him had better read this new volume. If its rhetoric is 'hard and heavy' its thought is even harder and essentially more daring than Heideggerians ever imagined Heidegger could be.
— David Farrell Krell
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