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Martin Heidegger
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Basic Writings (Harper Perennial Modern Thought) Paperback – November 4, 2008

by Martin Heidegger (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 131 ratings
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“One of the most profound thinkers of the 20th century.” — New York Times

The finest single-volume anthology of the great philosopher’s work, with a new introduction by leading Heidegger scholar Taylor Carman

Basic Writings is the finest single-volume anthology of the work of Martin Heidegger, widely considered one of the most important modern philosophers. Its selections offer a full range of the influential author's writings—including "The Origin of the Work of Art," the introduction to Being and Time, "What Is Metaphysics?," "Letter on Humanism," "The Question Concerning Technology," "The Way to Language," and "The End of Philosophy." This essential collection provides readers with a concise introduction to the groundbreaking philosophy of this brilliant and essential thinker.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    480 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    November 4, 2008
  4. Dimensions
    5.31 x 1.08 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0061627011
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0061627019
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the most profound thinkers of the 20th century.” — New York Times

“Among the most influential philosophers of modern times.” — Newsweek

“Powerful and original . . . Being and Time changed the course of philosophy.” — Richard Rorty, New York Times Book Review

From the Back Cover

Basic Writings is the finest single-volume anthology of the work of Martin Heidegger, widely considered one of the most important modern philosophers. Its selections offer a full range of the influential author's writings—including "The Origin of the Work of Art," the introduction to Being and Time, "What Is Metaphysics?," "Letter on Humanism," "The Question Concerning Technology," "The Way to Language," and "The End of Philosophy." Featuring a foreword by Heidegger scholar Taylor Carman, this essential collection provides readers with a concise introduction to the groundbreaking philosophy of this brilliant and essential thinker.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Revised, Expanded ed. edition (November 4, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061627011
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061627019
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.08 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 131 ratings

About the author

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Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger

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Born in southern Germany, Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) taught philosophy at the University of Freiburg and the University of Marburg. His published works include: Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics (1929); An Introduction to Metaphysics (1935); Discourse on Thinking (1959); On the Way to Language (1959); Poetry, Language, Thought (1971). His best-known work is Being and Time (1927).

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
131 global ratings
MISSING PAGES
1 Star
MISSING PAGES
THIS BOOK IS MISSING THE ELEVENTH ESSAY AND OVER 50 PAGES BUYERS BE WARNED. If you don’t read fast enough to realize the back of the book is missing within 30 days they will not replace or refund it extremely disappointed. Nothing more frustrating than getting cut off mid sentence in the middle of a book!!
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Top reviews from the United States

David Milliern
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting, More Substantial Than Structural, and Fairly Accessible
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2013
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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 of "Being and Time," and those who may shy away from "Being and Time," but still want to get a taste of Heidegger in a somewhat approachable text and from the source. Also, if anyone would like strategies for approaching "Being and Time," I wrote a blog with suggestions on my website, which can be reached through my Amazon community page: just click on the website on my community page, which you can get to by clicking my name above this review.
29 people found this helpful
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Daniel F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Broad Selection of Key Writings
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015
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This anthology includes a broad range of very substantial excerpts or essays from all periods of Heidegger's career. Rather than trying to cover a large number of writings, this book selects only eleven pieces. But they are all substantial and central. There is a good synergy and thematic relationship among the various selections, which the editors often helpfully highlight and cross-reference. For instance, the four selections starting with The Origin of the Work of Art and going through the Question of Technology (and even also Building Dwelling Thinking) provide a synergistic and inter-related view of Heidegger's thoughts on human creativity and activity that works very well. The editors have been very careful in selecting essays to allow for this type of panoramic and analytic view of Heidegger's thought. Gunter Figal's Heidegger Reader provides a good contrast and is a good companion to this volume in that it features shorter excerpts from a much wider range of writings, and -- happily -- there is almost no overlap with the Basic Writings volume.

The brief opening introductions to each chapter by the editors are very helpful and provide both a good overview of the relevant ideas and many thought-provoking points for readers to consider.
9 people found this helpful
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Books Furnish the Mind
4.0 out of 5 stars An accessible edition
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2014
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A very helpful edition of the major works that a beginner with Heidegger should read, but I am still wondering whether his philosophy is a giant (but impressive-sounding) bust, or whether there really is a great deal of insight and substance there.
6 people found this helpful
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Ng Odonnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Heidegger reading
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2009
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Phenomenology is, to my mind, a crucial branch of philosophy that impinges on many of the so-called sciences, including psychology and sociology. Unfortunately, Martin Heidegger, one of phenomenology's principle promoters, is one of those people whose writing demands a mentor for the reader. Failing that, which has been my experience, the demand translates into reading the man as widely as possible, including the output of his students and colleagues. 'Basic Writings' is a vital work in the journey into Heidegger's mind in that it provides a historical record of how he developed after 'Being and Time'; more so how he was able to take phenomenology to even higher heights of relevance in our contemporary world. This book deserves a place next to 'Being and Time' on the shelf of the serious Heidegger student.
10 people found this helpful
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SK Figler
5.0 out of 5 stars Martin is Martin is Martin
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2012
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To understand Heidegger, you have to read him a bit like you'd read Faulkner; just let it flow, not worrying about each phrase or sentence. These essays are well worth the effort. My favorite is The Question Concerning Technology.
11 people found this helpful
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Kyongsook Kim
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2012
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The book arrived on time and was in good shape, as it was described. I would use the service again.
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Emily
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2016
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Complicated and awesome.
2 people found this helpful
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Cole M
1.0 out of 5 stars MISSING PAGES
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023
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THIS BOOK IS MISSING THE ELEVENTH ESSAY AND OVER 50 PAGES BUYERS BE WARNED. If you don’t read fast enough to realize the back of the book is missing within 30 days they will not replace or refund it extremely disappointed. Nothing more frustrating than getting cut off mid sentence in the middle of a book!!
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Cole M
1.0 out of 5 stars MISSING PAGES
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023
THIS BOOK IS MISSING THE ELEVENTH ESSAY AND OVER 50 PAGES BUYERS BE WARNED. If you don’t read fast enough to realize the back of the book is missing within 30 days they will not replace or refund it extremely disappointed. Nothing more frustrating than getting cut off mid sentence in the middle of a book!!
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One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Introduction to Heidegger's philosophy
Reviewed in Canada on November 11, 2020
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The work includes excerpts from "Being and Time" but also the key essays on "What is Metaphysics" and the "Letter on Humanism." Besides the excellent translations, the work provides a general Introduction to Heidegger's thought as well as an Introduction to each selection by the editor and one of the foremost scholars on Heidegger in North America, David Farrell Krell. In its revised and expanded edition, the work is already a classic of its genre.
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Dietsche
3.0 out of 5 stars Heidegger - Seine( e ) Zeit
Reviewed in Germany on December 29, 2019
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Der informative Einleitungstext liefert die Grundlagen um den Originaltext besser zu verstehen.
Mit dem griechischen Logos starten die philosophische Betrachtungen. Meiner Meinung nach sind die Griechen an
den aktuellen Problemen und spekulativen Ideen interessiert. Das Atom entstand spekulativ und entwickelte
sich im 20.Jahrhundert zu einem Superlativ. Mit dem Phänomen einer wohlgeformten, logisch durchdachten
Atombombe wird reine Energie ausgedrückt.
Atom, Energie, Mensch, Kosmos liefern philosophischen Stoff um Bekanntes und Unbekanntes zu entwickeln.
Martin Heidegger liefert ein Spätwerk routinierter klassischen Philosophie, dieser fehlt die neue
Dimensionen aktueller Fakten. Es ist im Dasein, jedoch nicht es könnte Da Sein.
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P. Baziotopoulos
5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting selection of his writings
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2017
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What could one say about the colossus Martin Heidegger?

A very interesting selection of his writings as a perfect introduction to his thought
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The headaches were really worthwhile!
Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
In particular the essay On The Origin of Art, which is in this book, in full, made me think very hard. Heidegger is difficult, at the best of times, but if one persists the is at least one moment of enlightenment in everything he wrote. This book is a great introduction to a truly original thinker.
One person found this helpful
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Ira
5.0 out of 5 stars It helps my son
Reviewed in Canada on September 15, 2020
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My son like it.
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