BASC70364 - Heidegger and the Beginnings of Philosophy: Introduction to Metaphysics

Course Description

Instructor: Clare Pearson.  Originally given as a lecture course at the University of Freiburg in 1935, Heidegger's work Introduction to Metaphysics (1953), placing his thought in the context of his engagement with the history of philosophy, especially with the beginnings of philosophy in early Greek thought, was an important philosophical follow-up to Being and Time. A renowned teacher, Heidegger's lecture courses are much more readable than works that were originally written for publication. This text begins with what Heidegger calls the fundamental question of philosophy, “why is there anything at all rather than nothing?” From there he explores what questions we ask and how we ask. He then leads us through a discussion of “being," interpreting the word itself linguistically, looking at the idea of being in its connection to “essence," and finally looking at being as branching into for oppositional pairings: being and becoming, being and seeming, being and thinking, and being and the “ought.” In each case he both gives provocative interpretations of philosophy and shows where he himself finds problems and unasked questions, and diverges from the philosophical tradition. Course code: BASC70364

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