Heidegger’s Being & Time and the Possibility of Political Philosophy

Martin Heideggers Being and Time (1927) challenged earlier thinking about the basic structures of human being, our involvement in practical affairs, and our understanding of history, time, and being. Blitz clarifies Heideggers discussions, offers alternative analyses of phenomena central to Heideggers argument, and examines the connection between Heideggers position in Being and Time and his support of Nazism. As Blitz explains in his new afterword, When I began to study Martin Heidegger nearly fifty years ago, my goal was to explore the meaning of Being and Time for political philosophy. I wished to discover what it might offer for clarifying the grounds on which the basic concepts and alternatives of political philosophy rest. Would a close reading of it help us understand the questions of justice, freedom, the common good, natural rights, virtue, human happiness, and the philosophic life? These questions are as important today as they were then. Although Blitz often questions and criticises Heideggers views, he presents them with scrupulous care and clarity. Specialists and students in the areas of political theory, phenomenology, metaphysics, and moral philosophy will find Heideggers Being and Time & the Possibility of Political Philosophy an invaluable resource.