Heidegger's lecture course at the University of Marburg in the summer of 1925, an early version of Being and Time (1927), offers a unique glimpse into the motivations that prompted the writing of this great philosopher's master work and the presuppositions that gave shape to it.
The book embarks upon a provisional description of what Heidegger calls "Dasein," the field in which both being and time become manifest. Heidegger analyzes Dasein in its everydayness in a deepening sequence of terms: being-in-the-world, worldhood, and care as the being of Dasein. The course ends by sketching the themes of death and conscience and their relevance to an ontology that makes the phenomenon of time central. Theodore Kisiel's outstanding translation premits English-speaking readers to appreciate the central importance of this text in the development of Heidegger's thought. (amazon) (accessible via scribd and questia)
Readers of this book may wish to have one of Heidegger’s own works on hand as well. My usual recommendation is History of the Concept of Time. The name of this book is misleading, since the full German title calls it the preface to a history of the concept of time, and it never gives any history at all. It is actually an early version of Being and Time, presented by Heidegger to his students at the University of Marburg, and somewhat easier to understand than his more famous book. History of the Concept of Time also gives us Heidegger’s clearest criticism of the philosophical school known as phenomenology, founded by Edmund Husserl in 1900–1901.
Harman, Graham. Heidegger Explained: From Phenomenon to Thing (Ideas Explained) (p. 4). Open Court. 2007, Kindle edition.
