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Mystical Element in Heidegger's Thought

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John Caputo investigates the claim of many modern philosphers that Heidegger became a mystic in the latter part of his life. Caputo performs a careful analysis of this claim by looking at the writings of Heidegger as they relate to a true German mystic, Meister Eckhart. Does Heidegger's relationship between being and Being equate to Eckhart's soul and God? Does his use of "Gelassenheit", a term of Eckhart's meaning detachment, show a common belief? Caputo's book works on many levels. It brings together two of the great "book ends" of Germany philosophy, spanning the 14th to 20th centuries. And, just as Caputo does a wonderful job of conveying Heidegger's thought, so, too, he captures the mysticism of Eckhart. It was this which actually appealed to me more, and I believe the book can be an excellent introduction into the thinking of one of the greatest mystics of all time -- Eckhart.

John D. Caputo offers a masterful dialectic between 13th Century thinker Meister Eckhart and 20th Century dweller Martin Heidegger. This is an essential book in understanding Heidegger's concern with disenchantment, the contemporary denial of mystery, and the necessity for the poetic mystical. Caputo also (possibly unintentionally) demonstrates the imperative study of Heidegger's Der Satz vom Grund (The Principle of Reason (Studies in Continental Thought)) for any reader. This book explores an requisite and often neglected aspect of Martin Heidegger's thinking. This text could also be understood as a long needed stepping stone between Carl Jung's exploration in alchemy and Heidegger's thought.
Matthew Giobbi, Ph.D.