Paul Edwards (1) (1923–2004)

A book this short should be a quick read, and actually, it was, but not because the reading is captivating or enjoyable. In fact, it was because I forced myself forward so I could get it behind me and move on to a different book. Dense and obscurantist, the author fails to clarify Heidegger's thought, and seems in fact to muddle his own. Perhaps he can be forgiven, since he was dealing with a subject who feels that the being of being is beingness, but actually, that seems to make him an easy show more target. Still, I read the entire book carefully, and still didn't get any real specific arguments against Heidegger, other than the sense that he was just sort of making things up as he went along (Heidegger, not the author). For the most part, he deals with Heidegger's work more by incessant quoting from both him and other authors that wrote about him, rather than direct confrontation. Overall, the entire work left me with nearly as bad a feeling about the author as about his subject. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who isn't prepared to wade through the deliberate obfuscation that is all too common in philosophical works these days, as though merely saying something incomprehensible is the same as saying something deep. show less

This was my college textbook in an Introduction to Philosophy class. It has a great collection of pieces and excerpts, not limited to just "certified" philosophers, but also including philosophical passages from literature, such as the discussion about the suffering of little children from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. A great book for anyone wanting to get beyond the very brief introductions to philosophers and read some of their actual work.

Paul Edwards, who writes books published by Prometheus Press, attacks Martin Heidegger's hope that there CAN be a metaphysics of being BEYOND the metaphysics of existence on the basis that the cave-dwelling philosopher is (merely?) confused.

A one-of -a-kind gem! Every time I open a volume I learn something new.