Basic Writings

Very Interesting, More Substantial Than Structural, and Fairly Accessible

Those looking to get some insight into Heidegger's thought may find this collection of essays much more palatable than "Being and Time." Keep in mind it's still Heidegger, so, relative to the writings of other authors, it isn't going to be light reading to the minds of many. However, I do think these essays are well written and particularly approachable. I even felt as though the excerpt from "Being and Time" wasn't that bad; but that may be my experience of recently having read "Being and Time" that makes me think so. At any rate, these writings, "basic" in the sense that they are foundational, present nicely partitioned bits/cornerstones of Heidegger's broader philosophy. In fact, I think it may have been a bit better for me to have read this before advancing to "Being and Time," just because one gets so clearly from this work a sense of how Heidegger thinks, and an understanding of the manner/mode thereof. Another reason why this book might be worth a read prior to "Being and Time" is that it provides a sense of the subject matter that Heidegger is concerned with, and I think "Being and Time" can be seen as examination of the underlying ontological structure of Being and its relations apropos items of concern contained herein. Just as a note for those who have read quite a bit of Heidegger, I am not familiar with many anthologies of Heidegger's work, but all of the articles I have read on Heidegger and technolog refer to an essay here contained ("The Question Concerning Technology") and I have only been able to find that essay in this anthology. It may not have been published elsewhere, and my understanding is that some of Heidegger's essays, lectures, and notes have only been recently published, some of which are available in only one published form by one publisher, which could be the case here. I definitely recommend this volume for either those folks who read "Being and Time" and are looking for more substance beyond that volume's present structure, fans o...