Introducing Heidegger, 2nd Edition

While the comic-strip style of the "Introducing..." series can be entertaining and beneficial when it comes to breaking up the monotony of dense philosophy, it also tends to be rather distracting and can make the survey of Heidegger more difficult to understand. HOWEVER, I think this volume is well done! As far as a survey of Heidegger's work goes, this is a very accessible introduction - truly living up to its name. You will be excited about his thought and itching to read "Being and Time" when you're through with this book. Interested in the thought of Heidegger? Not ready to go to critical editions of his work just yet? Read this Introduction!!

When I first became interested with Heidegger, my first impulse was to tackle the big one- "Being and Time." However, after reading just a few pages of this tome, I realized the material was way over my head. I turned to guides concerning Heidegger's work, and "Introducing Heidegger" was extremely enlightening. Although it is in "comic book" format, the writing, although concise, is full of helpful observations and anecdotes. The pictorial aids also accentuate what the writing describes. Heidegger's concepts are laid out in full here- from his "secular theology" to his concept of simultaneous disclosure. His observations on art are revealed, also. This introduction to Heidegger was invaluable to me. I can now recognize strains of Heidegger's thought in the work of writers much easier to read such as Foucault, Sartre, and Jaspers.

INTRODUCING HEIDEGGER presents the reader with a lucid and thoughtfully rendered overview of Heidegger's overall corpus. However, this book does not represent a profound encounter with H's original texts by any stretch. Rather, it is a handy reference book, refresher, or study guide. The pictures are somewhat evocative and illuminating at times, but the book reminds me -- and this is NOT a slight-- of a well executed Cliff Notes edition. The main virtues of the book include reasonable clarification of terminology, consideration of H's predecessors and successors in philosophy and other fields, chronological presentation, very concise explication and the often helpful use of visual art. Still, the book is best for either "absolute beginners" or those who need a handy refresher/reference. It can also be used alongside original texts if existing commentaries seem too abstruse. In any case, it beats HEIDEGGER FOR BEGINNERS. But for those who want more depth and breadth from an introduction to Heidegger, I reccommend Macquarrie's HEIDEGGER AND CHRISTIANITY and, secondarilly, George Steiner's HEIDEGGER. These are both books (particularly Macquarrie's) of greater profundity than the INTRODUCTION, yet they are concise and accessible. In sum, INTRODUCING HEIDEGGER is a fairly reliable short study guide in which some of philosophy's most difficult terms and concepts are cleanly introduced, if not deeply explored.