Introduction to Metaphysics, 2nd Edition

"Why are there entities at all instead of nothing?" We all ask questions similar to this: why is the universe here? What is our purpose? But I know that as an undergraduate Philosophy major, I had never probed into the depth of the question anywhere near as deeply as Heidegger does in his Introduction to Metaphysics.Rather than offering a deep inquiry into the nature of the material, Heidegger instead relies heavily on the Greek notion of "phusis". In this process, he focuses his concern not only on understanding the way that entities are in the world. Rather, he seeks to understand how we as sense-making entities come to perceive and understand entities at all. His gripping story of a humanity that has gone blind to the nature of existence gives us a deep and confounding question: through a process of linguistic decline, have we somehow forgotten what it truly means to be? And if so, is there any hope that we can regain it?I found that Heidegger's personal life as a sympathizer with the Nazi cause offered an additional aspect of interest to the work. Can we separate the person from the idea, thus retaining value in the philosophy that Heidegger presents? Or is the shaping of the idea driven patently by the person responsible for writing it, making Heidegger's Nazi sympathies full grounds for discounting the work as a whole? While I tend to fall in the former camp, constantly keeping this question in mind gives an additional angle for inquiry.And perhaps the most interesting aspect of the work is when the reader chooses a definition of what it means to "be" that she feels applies appropriately to all of Heidegger's references of Being. Personally, I viewed the whole of the work through the lens that "to be is to have meaningful presence to us." At the same time, I realize that there is a variety of academic literature that suggests otherwise. Let it be left to the reader herself, then, to decide which exciting interpretation to use.Overall, this book is an excellent read. It introduces some of the deepest questions that humankind can hope to ask, in a thoughtful way that benefits both the Ph.D and undergraduate student alike.

In this book, Heidegger answers the question "why are there entities instead of nothing" in four aspects: The Fundamental Question of metaphysics, Grammar and Etymology, the Question of the Essence of being and finally, the Restrictions of Being. Heidegger examines the question by emphasizing on how human beings grasp the meaning of things that are existent, in terms of what they are and that they are. For the first three chapters, Heidegger prepares us to get a basic gist of picture, where entities come into being and start being meaningful to us, instead of mere objects/theories that we talk about, say about, but do not really think about. The fourth chapter is where Heidegger illuminates the most to the being picture, where he focuses on the meaning of specific words, such as Phusis, Polemos, and Dike.\This book is totally in Heidegger's language, and it could be overwhelming at first, but the logic is very clear. Once you start to get the picture, you will get how everything talked about in this book is meant to fit into one picture, and all of it is to help us understanding the one single fundamental question: why are there entities instead of nothing.In my view, this was fairly a clear book to read. However, without certain philosophical background, it could happen that Heidegger's philosophy is interpreted not in the right way, if you choose to read on your own. I recommend that you read it with your friends, and if you have a chance, consult a Heideggerian scholar. You might have to read the passage interested for two or three times, and you probably need to consult other books, such as Kate Withy's Heidegger on Being Uncanny. The link is below:http://www.amazon.com/Heidegger-Being-Uncanny-Katherine-Withy/dp/0674416708

I’m not equal to the task of measuring Heidegger’s work. To me, one of the most gifted, important philosophers ever. This translation is excellent and the introductory essay by the editors is very helpful.

If you are studying works by Heidegger and are looking to amazon reviews to help you make your decision about whether to buy a particular book, you are doing it wrong.

Splendid book that worth having and re reading once again, the nature of philosophical subjects demand the deep comprehension, I enjoyed every bit of it despite its uneasy nature