Martin Heidegger and the First World War Being and Time as Funeral Oration [Hardcover]

Altmans scholarship is voluminous, especially regarding material detailing Heideggers personal and professional life. . . .It may also be mentioned that throughout this study, Altman introduces incidental references and allusions to a number of other works by Heidegger, the most noteworthy are the H?lderlin Lectures of 193435 which Altman reads in ways which support his contention that Heideggers prose can readily be connected to themes associated with WWI. For anyone with a special interest in Heideggers readings of poetry, whether Greek or German, the discussions and background material pertaining to H?lderlin are valuable and constitute a suggestive interpretive base for determining the import of Heideggers many writings on this important poet. . . .The juxtaposition of a set of complex particular circumstancesall details pertaining to the case of Heidegger including the considerable material Alston gathered relating Heidegger to WWIwith the broader and more traditional concerns embodied in the western tradition of philosophical speculation invites us to rethink just what philosophy is and what we should expect it to accomplish. Should the structure of philosophizing necessarily include individual characteristics incarnated in the psychological profiles of its authors as well as repercussions from the historical, cultural, political and social conditions which circumscribe their work? Does this subtle and complex ambiance affect the nature of philosophical inquiry or, from a traditional perspective, can the import and value of philosophy continue to be detached from these surroundings? These questions as derived from Altmans book represent a signal subject for additional reflection.Altmans historical research illuminates important dimensions of Heideggers thought and mentality, and contributes to a richer grasp of the context and meaning of Being and Time.William Altman analyzes Heideggers theories in Being and Time against the background of the Firlc(