Book Description

This is a new introduction to Heidegger, guiding the student through the overall development of his ideas. Covering all the key concepts of Heidegger's work, Starting with Heidegger provides an accessible introduction to the ideas that are embodied in his magnum opus, Being and Time . Thematically structured, the book encourages the reader to engage with Heidegger's thought, leading him or her to a more thorough understanding of the roots of his philosophical concerns. Drawing on a wide range of Heidegger's lectures and manuscripts, the book shows how Heidegger came to arrive at the existential analysis of Being and Time and how he continued to develop insights into the problems which motivated it. Crucially, contextual detail and intellectual influences, from Husserl to Nietzsche, are introduced with an eye to uncovering the basic motivations behind Heidegger's complex formulations, elucidating not only what Heidegger wrote, but how he thought philosophy should be practised. This is the ideal introduction for anyone coming to the work of this challenging thinker for the first time.