Heidegger

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) is one of the most influential and controversial of modern thinkers. Notorious alike for his dense philosophical style and his ill-considered flirtation with Nazi politics, he might have been consigned to the dust-heap of history were it not for the widespread opinion that he is trying to say something important for the modern world. His influence is felt in the philosophies of Sartre, Merleau-Ponty and Gadamer, in the poetry of Celan, in the plays of Havel, in the novels of Durrenmat and Hesse, and in the art and music of post-war Germany. His essays have inspired conservatives and Marxists alike. Yet, despite voluminous commentaries, there has been no satisfactory introduction to his thought that will enable the ordinary reader to see why it is so important, or to separate those aspects of it which are genuinely useful from those which are obfuscated, fraudulent or downright dangerous. In this introduction, Professor David Cooper covers all of Heidegger's writings. With clear philosophical judgement, Cooper guides the reader through the novel concepts of Heideggerian metaphysics, explores the arguments used to introduce them and casts a critical eye over the whole philosophy.