Rating: Summary: Re-orienting Western subjects to the question of objects Review: Heidegger undertakes to de-struct our illusions about the meaning (or meaninglessness, as it were) of 'being itself', by way of revealing the artifice of modern human-centered ideas-about-things. He is not 'positing' any definitive answers for us, but rather he is using the artifice of human language to point to ways in which we can reorient ourselves to genuine dis-closures of beings in the actuality of their being. He is calling (in a challenging way) for the renewal of an object-oriented approach from would-be thinkers of all walks. Being and Time is ground zero for the rediscovery of 'first philosophy' and it's powerful relevance to our own way of being...
Rating: Summary: worth a second look and then some Review: I always avoided this book in college. After finally reading it I'm sorry I did. If you're wondering if 20th century philosophy has anything more to offer than flacid analytical tomes and self indulgent parodies of thought otherwise known as 'postmodernist thinking(?)' then this book might be for you. If you can click on to what Heidegger is doing here you might be pleasantly surprised. His observations on the functioning of the 'they' alone make it worth a read. Of course he's as german as they come: heavy, thick, dense - but also ultra disciplined, ultra focused, and ultra clear, if you can follow him. One wonders where all of these qualities went in his later works, for they are notably absent in anything he wrote after B&T.
Rating: Summary: clear up the confusion Review: I am afraid people might get a little confused by the other reviewer's comments. It basically boils down to this: if you are adequately grounded in the most rigorous european and eastern philosophical systems you will probably understand what Heidegger is doing in this book, but if you aren't you won't. It's not for everybody, but it is for those who want to see how far they can go with 20th century philosophy. The book is hard to read, the concepts are hard to grasp, the work is in my opinion worth it if you're asking the questions in the first place. It is not positivism, which is to say it is not easy, which is not to say that it is unintelligible. Some parts may not work for some people, but you'll never know which parts those will be for you unless you read it. Obviously german philosophy doesn't work for everybody, especially for those in the anglo/american 'tradition', since it requires both intense work and intense discipline to get through it. Philosophy was never supposed to be easy. Don't be fooled by those who fall by the wayside then crawl into their holes preferring candlelight to the sun. It's the best book of philosophy written in the 20th century, which is why it's been the most influential.
Rating: Summary: Truth in a unique form Review: I believe that an inkling of truth lies within this volume. Essentially, Heidegger is saying that we can understand something profound if we only stop what we are doing and look at what is in front of us. I think everyone should tackle this work, not just philosophy students.
Rating: Summary: Absurd and poorly written. Review: I fail to see the appeal of any of the nonsensical ideas of Heigegger. Upon reading anything written by him one should come to the conclusion (if they can get past his idiotic style of writing) that Existentialism is a philosophy of absolute absurdity. Ambiguity and a lack of clarity run wild all over the pages of this book. I suppose that is why so many people are taken in by utter nonsense, they either don't understand what they are reading or they feel that it is 'deep' and conclude that it is obviously profound. I suppose this is a good book for those who wish to be ideologically fashionable. It serves as a decent book for the rest of us to practice our skills in logic and reading comprehension (things that the former group have no use for).
Rating: Summary: My reviews Review: I see some nitwit worshippers, who've never had an original thought in their lives and will only engage in an activity if it is oh so very fashionable have given my review a bad mark. To hell with them.
Rating: Summary: just for fun Review: I wouldn't be writing this review, it's preposterous to review this book, but for those who complain about Heidegger's style. My point is it's funny to read those reviews venting out their anger at what they called Heidegger's obscure style. Guys, his style cannot be clearer than that, it is as clear as pure spring water. The thing with you is that you dont understand what he is saying, it's not the problem with the style. And i am left wondering how can one trust the political choice of the 99% of people on earth who are so bestially stupid. They are not even there, let alone understand their being there (Dasein)
Rating: Summary: a taste of what to expect Review: if you're the kind of person that reads derrida in the bathroom, then you'll enjoy this masacre of clarity. as heidegger says, after all, phenomenology is just "to let that which shows itself be seen from itself in the very way in which it shows itself from itself." right. whatever you say, martin.
Rating: Summary: For those having trouble with Being on Time. Review: It is difficult to translate a great work like Heidegger's, Being and Time. Anyone who has taken German knows that English and German have very few words in common. The key to the German culture, however, is in its hops and once one understands this then one realizes that the whole of Being and Time can be translated thus: "You live, you die. Tell me about it!".There are remarkable passages on authentic Being and inauthentic Being. Unfortunately, no one has even been able to make any sense of what Heidegger means by this. Fear not, any reputable jeweler with a good set of loupes should be able to tell you which category your Being falls into. The difficulites of translating German into English, especially translating a work of philosophy that contains words coined in the heat of philosophic inspiration but lacking any sort of Frege's sense or reference, should be obvious to anyone who made it out of German One. For example, in Heidegger's notebooks, "fraulein" is mistakenly translated as "airline". This error of translation has resulted in the confusion of Heidegger with one of the CEOs of Lufthansa (if Heidegger ran an airline like the way he wrote books the plane would never get there). Of course, we who have taken German know that "fraulein" is properly translated as, "a pint of ale." With a correction of translation the mysteries in the Notebooks disappear (but have no bearing on Being and Time, which still just doesn't plainly make any sense). I once gave this book to a friend as a wedding present, but it was quickly snatched away by his grandmother, who cryptically remarked, "The man was fool, you will destroy my grandson with this rubbish." and then whacked me over the head with it. There is still a lump on my head, but I have to admit that that whack made Heidegger's most notorious contemporary adherent, Jacques Derrida, a little more palatable ("Jacques Derrida" is French for "Jack Daniels" - talk about the difficulty of translations! Good read. Impresses friends even if you don't read it but leave it on your coffee table (you can be sure they haven't read it!).
Rating: Summary: To Be Free of Dasein Review: Martin Heidegger concept of Dasein (Human or Being There) in relation to BEING & TIME changed my philosophical course. This is Heidegger's Opus written in 1928 should be read after "Intro to Metaphysics" or some of his other smaller easier writings. The book has many great questions & thoughts about how BEING Human is trapped within BEING (Space, Existence) & TIME, but the book gets bogged down with Heidegger's own personal language. In other words; BEING & TIME is as hard to read as the philosophers Hegel or Kant. In the end you may find the need to leave behind any form of Idealism & the many traps of western Philosophical history, or better written: "to become Authentic" & discover your own means or method of thinking.
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