Heidegger in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) [Paperback]

Paul Strathern (Author)

Book Description

Series: Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series | Publication Date: April 9, 2002

“Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one’s friends to Western civilization.”—Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe. “Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them....I find them hard to stop reading.”—Richard Bernstein, New York Times. “Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.”—Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal. These brief and enlightening explorations of our greatest thinkers bring their ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Philosophical thought is deciphered and made comprehensive and interesting to almost everyone. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the philosopher and his work, authoritative and clearly presented.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A godsend in this era of the short attention span. (Daryl Royster Alexander New York Times )

Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise. (Jim Holt Wall Street Journal )

Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them.... I find them hard to stop reading. (Bernstein, Richard New York Times )

Witty and dramatic.... I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization. (Katherine A. Powers Boston Globe )

About the Author

Paul Strathern is author of the popular and critically acclaimed Philosophers in 90 Minutes series. Highlights from the series include Nietzsche in 90 Minutes, Aristotle in 90 Minutes, and Plato in 90 Minutes. Mr. Strathern has lectured in philosophy and mathematics and now lives and writes in London. A former Somerset Maugham prize winner, he is also the author of books on history and travel as well as five novels. His articles have appeared in a great many newspapers, including the Observer (London) and the Irish Times. His own degree in philosophy came from Trinity College, Dublin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (April 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566634385
• ISBN-13: 978-1566634380
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,084,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Logic & Language

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting beginning short on ideas, March 28, 2003

By 

Richard Putney (Toledo, OHIO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heidegger in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

As indicated by the title, this is a very quick overview of Heiddeger. As such it is interesting and well written. However, I was more interested in the philosophy than the man, and so was a bit disappointed in the relatively little attention given to Heiddeger's ideas, as opposed to his life. Some terms are not explained clearly for a beginner. An example: the author assumes that the meaning and origin of the term "phenomenology" is transparent and self-evident. The last portion of the book is very negative about the man, but does not show why this would negate the value of the philosopher's ideas. (I don't like Picasso much as an individual, but am entranced by his paintings....) In spite of my reservations, I went from almost no knowledge of Heidegger to a place where I'm ready to learn more; I'm glad I read it (and it did take just about ninety minutes to do so).

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Strathern, Too Little Heidegger, August 14, 2006

By 

John G. (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heidegger in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

Paul Strathern makes a promising beginning. He tells us about Heidegger's early tendencies of mind, recounts the overriding events and the challenging philosophical situation of his time, and explains the philosopher's original philosophical project and some of his key concepts.

But Strathern goes astray in the latter part of this short book, offering a glib and sarcastic rebuttal to Heidegger's thought, making light of his style of writing, and devoting far too much space to his Nazism, as though only heroic persuasion could keep us from embracing Hitler.

No serious thinker deserves this kind of treatment. It insults not only Heidegger but also the readers, who are evidently expected to adopt Strathern's opinons as final rather than forming their own. The impression you end with, whether he intended it so or not, is that Heidegger was just too wrongheaded and obscurantist for us to bother ourselves with him.

If the pages wasted on Strathern's reactions had been used to give us more Heidegger information and to integrate that with the previous material, the book would have been worth the money and the hour and a half.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Pathetic Paradox, April 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Heidegger in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

The very notion that one could get something called "Heidegger" in 90 minutes is profoundly ridiculous. As any one who has studied Heidegger for (apparently) more than 90 minutes can tell you, Heidegger's thought is extraordinarily complex, and often impenetrable even to the seasoned student of philosophy. More to the point, Heidegger himself is famous for railing against the superficial "chatter" of the industry of letters; yet few philosophers (aside from Nietzsche perhaps) have been subjected to as much useless chatter as has been Heidegger.

My advice - dispense with the "industry" of philosophy altogether, and especially its pathetic popularized forms. If you're not up to trying to read Heidegger (or any philosopher, dead or alive) himself, then just stay out of philosophy altogether.