Phenomenological Interpretations of Aristotle: Initiation into Phenomenological Research [Hardcover]

Martin Heidegger (Author), Richard Rojcewicz (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Studies in Continental Thought | Publication Date: December 1, 2001

Phenomenological Interpretations of Aristotle, the text of a lecture course presented at the University of Freiburg in the winter of 1921–22, was first published in 1985 as volume 61 of Heidegger's collected works. Preceding Being and Time, the work shows Heidegger introducing novel vocabulary as he searches for his genuine philosophical voice. Here, Heidegger first takes up the role of the definition of philosophy and then elaborates a conception of 'factical life,'or human life as it is lived concretely in relation to the world, a relation he calls 'caring.' Heidegger's descriptions of the movement of life are original, striking, and unique to this lecture course. As he works out a phenomenology of factical life, Heidegger lays the groundwork for a phenomenological interpretation of Aristotle, one of the pivotal influences in the development of his philosophy. As an early articulation of Heidegger's thought, this book will be an indispensable resource for scholars and students.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Rojcewicz teaches philosophy at Point Park College in Pittsburgh. He has translated Thing and Space: Lectures of 1907 by Edmund Husserl. His translations of Martin Heidegger (with André Schuwer) include Parmenides, Basic Questions of Philosophy: Selected "Problems" of "Logic," and Plato's Sophist (all by Indiana University Press).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253339936
• ISBN-13: 978-0253339935
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,638,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Faint-Hearted, But an Excellent Book, December 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Phenomenological Interpretations of Aristotle: Initiation into Phenomenological Research (Hardcover)

This text holds a key place in the development of Heidegger's thought. As such, it is a must-read for scholars or philosophers who are already familiar with Heidegger's work. It is not, however, a good place to begin studying Heidegger. This is due more to the bizarre translation than to the much lamented difficulty of Heidegger's thoughts. Here, the reader should keep in mind that this text is a compilation of lecture notes by both Heidegger and his students, and so naturally lacks the polished form of a philosophical paper or book. Our translator, however, did not assist our understanding in the slightest by his inaccuracies and rigid word usages.

As for this being a book on Aristotle, one should have no illusions. However, the reader who found this disappointingly "flaky" seems to have missed the subtitle of the book (which our translator inscrutably renders as), "Initiation into Phenomenological Research." The lecture, like the "Natorp Report" of 1922, represents Heidegger's attempt to articulate a "hermeneutics of facticity" as the systematic starting point for a reading of key Aristotelian texts.

This book contains fascinating explorations of the idea of philosophy, critiques of culture and of intellectual discourse, and difficult but insightful expositions of the basic "categories" of everyday human life. Here is the early Heidegger at his best, if not at his most reader-friendly.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect example of hermeneutics, June 9, 2006

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Felix Guerenabarrena "Felix Gerenabarrena" (ondarroa, bizkaia Euzkadi) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Phenomenological Interpretations of Aristotle: Initiation into Phenomenological Research (Hardcover)

This is one of the best examples of hermeneutics I have ever come across. Gadamer systematized the dicipline of hermeneutics but it was Heidegger's genius who developed the practice of hermeneutics years before, explaining the development of the history of philosophical ideas.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heidegger's Aristotle, September 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Phenomenological Interpretations of Aristotle: Initiation into Phenomenological Research (Hardcover)

Even though the way in which Heidegger scholars concentrate on his relationship to Aristotle is extremely conservative, this book itself is very interesting. If you are looking for an introductory book on Aristotle, this is not it.