Heidegger's Temporal Idealism (Modern European Philosophy) [Hardcover]

William D. Blattner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521620678 | ISBN-13: 978-0521620673 | Publication Date: January 13, 1999

This book is a systematic reconstruction of Heidegger's account of time and temporality in Being and Time. The author locates Heidegger in a tradition of "temporal idealism" with its sources in Plotinus, Leibniz, and Kant. For Heidegger, time can only be explained in terms of "originary temporality," a concept integral to his ontology. Professor Blattner sets out not only the foundations of Heidegger's ontology, but also his phenomenology of the experience of time. Focusing on a neglected but central aspect of Being and Time this book will be of considerable interest to all students of Heidegger both inside and outside philosophy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Heidegger's Temporal Idealism remains a close reading which will certainly open up a challenging reading of SZ for those working within the analytic tradition." International Philosophical Quarterly

Book Description

This book is a systematic reconstruction of Heidegger's account of time and temporality in Being and Time. The author locates Heidegger in a tradition of "temporal idealism" with its sources in Plotinus, Leibniz, and Kant. For Heidegger, time can only be explained in terms of "originary temporality", a concept integral to his ontology. Professor Blattner sets out not only the foundations of Heidegger's ontology, but also his phenomenology of the experience of time. Focussing on a neglected but central aspect of Being and Time this book will be of considerable interest to all students of Heidegger both inside and outside philosophy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521620678
• ISBN-13: 978-0521620673
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,361,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, but a bit too Pricey, September 7, 2009

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Reader From Aurora - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Heidegger's Temporal Idealism (Modern European Philosophy) (Paperback)

In `Heidegger's Temporal Idealism', Blattner explores Heidegger's early view of temporality articulated in `Being and Time'. Blattner's central thesis is that Heidegger seeks to expound a strong view of temporal idealism, and, that he is unsuccessful in this endeavor.

This is text is geared toward readers with a good knowledge of Heidegger's early work. I read this book in conjunction with Bert Dreyfus's course on Division II of `Being and Time' (available at itunesu/UCBerkley/Phil/Phil 189). While Dreyfus reads Heidegger as a temporal realist, the two resources are a nice fit, providing the student with two informed perspectives on this interesting question.

While I am a fan of Blattner, he is an excellent young Heidegger scholar, this text book could benefit from a bit of tightening-up. In its present state, the book has an excess of structural packaging (e.g. interim summaries and such). Certainly, structure can be helpful with difficult thinkers like Heidegger, however in this case it is overdone. This choppiness may stem from the book's genesis as a series of disparate articles.

Overall, this is the best book-length discussion of Heidegger's early views on temporality of which I am aware. That said, at over $60 (paperback) it is too pricey.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Book!, September 18, 2004

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A reader reader (Divided Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heidegger's Temporal Idealism (Modern European Philosophy) (Hardcover)

This is probably the best scholarly treatment of Being and Time available. Heidegger called his unfinished magnum opus Being and Time, but readers have not had much luck making sense of his claim that he was grounding being in time. Blattner's book explains what Heidegger meant, and why he was unable to finish the book. No serious reader of Heidegger can ignore this book.