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Engaging Heidegger (New Studies in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)

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Engaging Heidegger is a must read for any student or scholar interested in Martin Heidegger. There is something here for many readers, from advanced scholars of Phenomenology and Hermeneutics to those simply interested in architecture; for those interested in contemporary philosophy to students of psychology.

The Foreward was written by Boston College professor William J. Richardson, who for decades has been the recognized authority on Heidegger.

Over eight chapters, Professor Capobianco lucidly describes the nature and experience of Being in its various manifestations. Capobianco understands the complexity of Being and carefully and perceptively, through text and context, leads the reader to an understanding of Being as the time and space flow of all beings.

Analysis is driven by the examination of Heidegger's writings and lectures and a thorough knowledge of the original German with insightful translations. At times, the analysis focuses on specific words and the context within which those words were used, to delineate Heidegger's intended meanings. Other times, Capobianco indicates that Heidegger himself conveyed different meanings for particular key words over the course of his life of thought, such as with the term die Lichtung.

Perhaps most importantly, Capobianco elucidates the concept of ontological "anxiety" which further advances the idea of our authentic unsettledness in living and being in the world. Anxiety is a multi-faceted concept with elements of fear, dread, wonder, perplexity and perhaps even acceptance. "Angst" is problematic because it is not simply dread and Capobianco engages the Heideggarian commentariat to demonstrate the difference.

Other chapters deal with a Heideggarian philosophy of the lived space (including architecture as well as our internal and external lived spaces), Plato's "light" and the phenomenon of the "clearing," among others.

Heidegger continues to be vital to philosophical thought today and this book is an important stepping stone on that journey toward a better understanding of the work of this great thinker.