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The Metaphysical Foundations of Logic (Studies in Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy)

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The first half or so of this book is what makes it worthwhile. There we find Heidegger's best sustained discussion of Leibniz. To be sure, there are other discussions of Leibniz scattered throughout Heidegger's work (most notably in "The Principle of Reason") but here we find him attempting to elucidate Leibniz's metaphysics, not discuss aspects of Leibniz's work in connection with a broader theme. Heidegger's style of reading makes for excellent introductions to the thinkers he discusses. It's ironic that a writer who has a reputation for obtuseness and impenetrability can produce vividly clear discussions of other thinkers. It should be noted that Heidegger's "Die Frage nach dem Ding" (the English translation, long and sadly out of print, went by the name "What is a Thing?") is one of the best introductory books on Kant in any language. But Heidegger's approach: cut straight to the "question of Being" and show how the rest of a philosopher's work fits in with his basic metaphysical position, makes for a clear and striking interpretation, even if Leibniz scholars might find it a little over-aggressive in some details.

This is an essential series of lectures to understand the importance of science and specifically of Leibniz's principle of sufficient reason in Heidegger's later thought. It provides the basis for any inquiry into technology which, in Heidegger's thought, is the latest development of scientific metaphysics. It is also the basis for recent studies of law like Roger Berkowitz's The Gift of Science: Leibniz and the Modern Legal Tradition.

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