Heidegger: An Introduction [Book Review]

Among several recent short introductions to the thought and work of Martin Heidegger, this is perhaps the best, especially for beginning students, since for the most part it faithfully represents Heidegger’s thought while remaining free of excessive German terminology. The author stays close to the standard translations of Heidegger’s basic words, but also sometimes offers fresh versions of key terms that shed light on Heidegger’s thought in ways that will stimulate specialists; for example, “minding” for Sorge and “facing up [to]” for Vorlaufen. Polt’s introduction to Heidegger contains important discussions of the relevance of Heidegger’s thought to logic, language, and art, as well as to his political stance during the period of dominance of National Socialism in Germany.