A Commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time [Paperback]

Michael Gelven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1989 | ISBN-10: 0875805442 | ISBN-13: 978-0875805443 | Edition: Revised

This thoroughly revised commentary uses the most recent insights in Heidegger studies to lead the reader through the sometimes difficult text of Being and Time. The clearly marked section-by-section analysis explains the structure of Being and Time, illuminates obscure passages, and presents examples of human experience to elucidate Heidegger's points. So that the reader does not lose sight of the main argument, Gelven summarizes the relevant concepts of Heidegger's chapters prior to his explicit interpretation of each section. Even though Gelven's commentary is primarily intended to be used as a supplement to Being and Time, the text also serves as an articulate study in Heideggerian philosophy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gelven is well prepared to go the arduous path of Being and Time from beginning to end commenting, criticizing, elaborating in a refreshingly lively manner."—Journal of the History of Philosophy

"An efficient and useful handbook for those who try to make their way through the rugged terrain of Heidegger's text."—Review of Metaphysics

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press; Revised edition (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875805442
• ISBN-13: 978-0875805443
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #894,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make time for this one!, October 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time (Paperback)

If you're workin through B&T then you know you need help: where to turn. Depends, if you want themes laid individually, but not always making the big picture cohere and with further goals in mind (refuting certain analytic thoughts) Dreyfus is a must and probably necessary for any advanced philosophy student (if you don't want Heidegger to ultimately smell of spinach completely). If you want a Brit spin written pretty orderly but often focusing on specifics that show where the research interests of the author are, then Mulhall is a must. If you want someone without any axes to grind elsewhere, well laid-out and often willing to go back and reconsider earlier important areas in light of new important ones, then Gelven is your guy. Very level-headed and shows a sincere interest in B&T. I'm still leary of all things Heideggerian, but enjoy a good toil and Gelven allowed me that.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best introduction to Being and Time, August 3, 2005

By 

Tam (Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time (Paperback)

This book is about as accessible as you can get with Heidegger. Gelven not only manages to put across BT's basic concepts in a way which is understandable and jargon-free (though by the end of it the jargon starts to make sense), but also weaves them together into a reasonably coherent presentation of the work in general. So not only does each section make sense taken alone, but he also lets you see how they fit into the general picture. This is probably a better intro to BT than Dreyfus' book, which is in fact a re-hashed set of lecture notes. Contrary to one of the other reviewers, I would recommend reading this commentary before reading Heidegger's actual text. If there is some genius out there who can make sense of Being and Time without being fully versed in the phenomenological tradition, and can therefore makse sense of BT without any help, then I don't think Gelven's book is much help. But for mere mortals this book is indispensable. As for other commentaries, Mulhall's is a bit less clear and more heavy going, but a good follow-up to Gelven. Inwood's is maybe a bit too concise, but worth reading too. For the record, I'm a postgraduate researcher drawing quite heavily on Heidegger's philosophy, so have ended up spending a fair amount of time on this stuff. Life would have been much more difficult without Gelven.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply one of the best keys to a major philosophical work, April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time (Paperback)

Gelven transforms Being and Time from an opaque philosophical maze into an accessible and meaningful work. I have found most of the major translations of Being and Time, in english translation, to be obscure, inaccurate, and confusing. Gelven's work is a masterpiece of cogency.