Product Description

A knowledge of Heidegger′s Sein und Zeit is essential for anyone who wishes to understand a great deal of recent continental work in theology as well as philosophy. Yet until this translation first appeared in 1962, this fundamental work of one of the most influential European thinkers of the century remained inaccessible to English readers. In fact the difficulty of Heidegger′s thought was considered to be almost insuperable in the medium of a foreign language, especially English.

That this view was unduly pessimistic is proved by the impressive work of John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson who have succeeded in clothing Heidegger′s thought in English without sacrificing the richness and poetic subtlety of the original.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23649 in Books
• Published on: 1978-10-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
It has been said, and not without good reason, that much of what we know as modern Continental Philosophy is no more than a mere footnote to Martin Heidegger's (1889-1976) mammoth Being and Time. Without doubt Heidegger's major work this translation, by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson, was the first English interpretation of Sein und Zeit, Heidegger's groundbreaking investigation into the question of Being, and although it has its critics it has served as the standard rendering of the work for many years. Whilst Joan Stambaugh's more idiomatic translation is certainly a little easier to read, the Macquarrie and Robinson work has not been surpassed for its fidelity to the original German. Serious students of Heidegger should perhaps read both translations whilst bearing in mind that Heidegger himself was profoundly concerned with the thought structures of any language that so handicap the possibility of translation. Being and Time is an essential reference book for anyone interested in modern philosophy. --Mark Thwaite

From the Back Cover
A knowledge of Heidegger′s Sein und Zeit is essential for anyone who wishes to understand a great deal of recent continental work in theology as well as philosophy. Yet until this translation first appeared in 1962, this fundamental work of one of the most influential European thinkers of the century remained inaccessible to English readers. In fact the difficulty of Heidegger′s thought was considered to be almost insuperable in the medium of a foreign language, especially English.

That this view was unduly pessimistic is proved by the impressive work of John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson who have succeeded in clothing Heidegger′s thought in English without sacrificing the richness and poetic subtlety of the original.

Customer Reviews

The greatest project I ever undertook in philosophy.
I am not a trained philosopher. I had however, read a considerable amount of work by other philosophers before I came upon this book. In order to effectively grasp Heideggers mercurial thought, I had to read an introduction first, then read this text, then read and re-read this text again. I found that this book expains an outlook, or way of thinking which has to be 'felt' or experienced as well as understood (still that doesn't describe it so well!). As soon as you try to give a synopsis of the ideas, the ideas tend to disintegrate.
There are no conclusions to be drawn from this and
Heidegger will answer none of your questions. Reading this book should be thought of as a project rather than a quick read.
A superficial skim through this won't get the point across.
You may understand each and every sentence, but you won't get the core of the idea because it requires you to think in a very unusual way.
As a last point, if you don't have a lecture course or introductory book, or someone to talk to about this before you read it, you will be stuck. The reason for this is that Heidegger often introduces terms and ideas before explaining what they mean fully.

True Genius!

This book is pure genius in the most literal sense, and is without a doubt the most important philosophical work to be produced in recent years (and possibly ever). Whilst Heidegger is suitably well read (and taught) in the academic world, the full implications of his insights have yet to 'sink in' fully. Once this has happened Heidegger's thought will most certainly be seen to be the foundation of a truly momentous paradigm shift in consciousness and thought on a general level.

It is frequently asserted that Heidegger (and in particular Being and Time) is almost completely impossible to understand. This may well be true for those readers that attempt to 'dip in' to his works; or who wish to read something at speed. There are no 'quick insights' to be gained from Heidegger. However, anyone with a modicum of patience and the ability to study rather than simply read will not have this issue. A small amount of preparatory reading (especially of Husserl) also doesn't hurt.

The main difficulty is the language used, however this is simply something that one gets used to by progressing through the book. The introduction may seem impenetrable on first reading; but read it again mid-way and afterwards and it makes complete sense.

A note on the translations: this version (Macquarrie and Robinson) is by far the easiest to read, and is the closest to the original German. The alternative (Joan Stambaugh), whilst it has been designed to be more accessible, is actually somehow a lot more confusing. However, be warned: the Macquarrie and Robinson version leaves all Greek terms and most Latin terms completely un-translated, which can be very irritating. It may therefore be advisable to have both copies.

An outstanding achievement of British scholarship
This is a marvelous translation, superior on many fronts over its only English language rival, of the most important philosophical text of the twentieth century. Highly recommended.