Basic Questions of Philosophy: Selected "Problems" of "Logic" (Studies in Continental Thought) [Hardcover]

Martin Heidegger (Author)

Book Description

Series: Studies in Continental Thought | Publication Date: June 22, 1994

First published in German in 1984 as volume 45 of Martin Heidegger's collected works, this book is the first English translation of a lecture course he presented at the University of Freiburg in 1937–1938. Heidegger's task here is to reassert the question of the essence of truth, not as a "problem" or as a matter of "logic," but precisely as a genuine philosophical question, in fact the one basic question of philosophy. Thus, this course is about the essence of truth and the essence of philosophy. On both sides Heidegger draws extensively upon the ancient Greeks, on their understanding of truth as aletheia and their determination of the beginning of philosophy as the disposition of wonder. In addition, these lectures were presented at the time that Heidegger was composing his second magnum opus, Beiträge zur Philosophie, and provide the single best introduction to that complex and crucial text.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The concept of truth plays a vital role in Heidegger's thought, and Basic Questions, a lecture course that Heidegger gave in 1937-38, offers a helpful elucidation of truth as he sees it. Frequently, philosophers think of truth as statements that match reality: "the lights are on in the lecture hall" is true if the lights are in fact on there. For Heidegger, this seeming commonplace is absurd. Truth in his view is the openness or unconcealment of being, a position that he traces to the pre-Socratics. He deploys his immense learning to trace the eclipse of the pre-Socratic notion throughout the history of philosophy by the doctrine of truth as correspondence. This excellent translation will be of great value to students of Heidegger's thought.
David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Well suited to the task of beckoning the novice onto the path of Heidegger's most arduous thought.... a useful introduction to the thought of one of our most original thinkers." —International Studies in Philosophy

(International Studies in Philosophy )

"A helpful elucidation of the truth as [Heidegger] sees it.... This excellent translation will be of great value to students of Heidegger's thought." —Library Journal

(Library Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press; First English language edition edition (June 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253326850
• ISBN-13: 978-0253326850
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Heidegger's Contributions to Philosophy, November 2, 2006

By 

Mark Thomas (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Basic Questions of Philosophy: Selected "Problems" of "Logic" (Studies in Continental Thought) (Hardcover)

Heidegger gave this lecture course in the Winter semester 1937-1938 while he was finishing his second masterpiece, Contributions to Philosophy. It elaborates many of the themes of that difficult work in a more lucid style. (Unfortunately not all of the themes of Contributions are elaborated here, e.g. "the last god" is noticeably absent.) Herrmann, the editor of the German edition of both volumes, recommends it as the best introduction to Contributions. However, even if one is not interested in that other work, this lecture course is an excellent (also clear, concise) example of the later Heidegger.

About the translation--although no translation is perfect and Heidegger's German presents many difficulties, the translators do an admirable job. One criticism however: they do not distinguish "Sein" from Heidegger's other spelling "Seyn" in their translation, choosing to translate both by the generic "Being." (Other translators will distinguish the two as Be-ing/Being or Beyng/Being.)