Basic Writings

465 Pages·2008·4.65 MB·English

by  Martin Heidegger, David Farrell Krell

WRITINGS
evised & Expanded Edition
HarperCollins Editions of
Martin Heidegger
Basic Writings
Being and Time
Discourse on Thinking
Early Greek Thinking
The End of Philosophy
Hegel’s Concept of Experience
Identity and Difference
Nietzsche: Volume I, The Will to
Power as Art
Nietzsche: Volume II, The Eternal
Recurrence of the Same
Nietzsche: Volume III, The Will to Power
as Knowledge and as Metaphysics
Nietzsche: Volume IV, Nihilism
On the Way to Language
On Time and Being
Poetry, Language, Thought
The Question Concerning Technology
and Other Essays
What Is Called Thinking?
MARTIN HEIDEGGER
BASIC W RITINGS
from Being and Tim (1927)
to '[Ju Task of 'fhinking (1964)
REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION
EDITED, WITH GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND
INTRODUCTIONS TO EACH SELECTION,
BY
DAVID FARRELL KRELL
HarperSanFrancisco
A Division of HarperCollinsPuWishers

The selections in this volume are translated from the following German books:
Sein und Zeit, © Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1972; Wegmarken, ©Vittorio Kloster-
mann, 1976; Holzwege, © Vittorio Klostermann, 1972; Die Frage nach dem Ding,
© Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1962; Vortrilge und Aufsiitze, © Verlag Gunther Neske,
1954; Was heisst Denken? © Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1971; Unterwegs zur Sprache,
© Verlag Gunther Neske, 1959; Zur Sache des Denkens, © Max Niemeyer Verlag,
1969. Acknowledgment is made to Henry Regnery Company, Publishers, for
permission to reprint “Modern Science, Metaphysics, and Mathematics” from
What Is a Thing? © 1967 by Henry Regnery Company. Portions of this work
originally appeared in somewhat different form in What Is Called Thinking?
© 1968 in the English translation by Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.; Poetry,
Language, Thought, © 1971 by Martin Heidegger; On Time and Being, © 1972
by Harper & Row, Inc.
basic writings. English translation © 1977, 1993 by HarperCollins Publishers,
Inc. General Introduction and introductions to each selection © 1977, 1993 by
David Farrell Krell. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews. For information address HarperCollins Publishers,
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Heidegger, Martin, 1889-1976.
[Selections. English. 1993]
Basic writings : from being and time (1927) to the task of
thinking (1964) I Martin Heidegger ; [edited] by David Farrell
Krell.—2nd, rev. and expanded ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents: Being and time : introduction—What is metaphysics?—
On the essence of truth—The origin of the work of art—Letter
on humanism—Modern science, metaphysics, and mathematics—The
question concerning technology—Building dwelling thinking—What calls
for thinking?—The way to language—The end of philosophy and the task of
thinking.
ISBN ^^3763-3
I. Krell, David Farrell. II. Title.
B3279.H47E5 1992
193—dc20 91-58187
CIP
04 05 RRD H 30 29 28 27 26 25
to Hannah Arendt
J. Glenn Gray
Joan Stambaugh
It is proper to every gathering
that the gatherers assemble to
coordinate their efforts to the
sheltering; only when they have
gathered together with that end
in view do they begin to gather.
—Martin Heidegger, Logos

C O N T E N TS
Preface ix
General Introduction: The Question of Being 1
by David FARRELL KRELL
I. Being and Time: Introduction 37
II. What Is Metaphysics? 89
III. On the Essence of Truth 111
IV. The Origin of the Work of Art 139
V. Letter on Humanism 213
VI. Modern Science, Metaphysics, and Mathematics 267
VII. The Question Concerning Technology 307
VIII. Building dwelling Thinking 343
IX. What Calls for Thinking? 365
X. The Way to Language 393
XI. The End of Philosophy and the Task of Thinking 427
Suggestions for Further Study 450

PREFACE
This book offers a selection from the writings of the German think­
er Martin Heidegger, born September 26, 1889, in Messkirch, died
May 26, 1976, in Freibyrg. Its dual purpose is to provide English­
speaking students of philosophy and of the arts and sciences with
(1) an introduction to Heidegger’s thought, and (2) essays particu­
larly thought-provoking for students’ own areas of interest. It ad­
vances the claim to a “basic” selection only with the proviso that
other essays excluded for reasons of length may be as basic for an
understanding of Heidegger’s thought. Although Martin Heidegger
studied plans for the volume during the winter and spring of 1974­
75, generously offering suggestions concerning inclusions and ex­
clusions, the plan adopted here cannot be called an “authorized”
one.
Eleven selections appear: eight complete essays, two uncut
excerpts from larger works, and one abridged piece. With the ex­
ception of Reading VI, “Modern Science, Metaphysics, and Math­
ematics,” the sequence of selections is chronological by order of
composition.
The major improvements in this second, revised and expanded
edition of Basic Writings are these: (1) Heidegger’s most concise
account of his thinking concerning language and propriation (Er-
eignis) has been added (see Reading X, “The Way to Language”);
(2) Reading IV, “The Origin of the Work of Art,” now appears com­
plete, including the Epilogue and the 1956 Addendum; (3) I have
checked through each piece, correcting the errors that have come
to my attention during the past fifteen years and making more con­
sistent the translation of a number of fundamental words. For ex­
ample, “clearing” is now used for Lichtung, “to propriate” for sich
ix