Heidegger's Confusions

In this penetrating and witty book, Edwards insightfully analyses Heidegger's quest for being; his treatment of death, anxiety, and nothingness; and his double-talk about life after death. In a brief preface Edwards aptly sums up the thrust of his criticism: "Bertrand Russell once referred to Kant as the greatest catastrophe in the history of philosophy, C.D. Broad commented that this position surely belonged to Hegel. Russell and Broad were wrong, because this title undoubtedly belongs to Martin Heidegger. Some years ago, Anthony Quinton spoke of Heidegger's 'pondrous and rubbishy woolgathering.' Until fairly recently, Heidegger was not taken seriously by philosophers in Great Britain and the United States. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. One goal if the present study is to stem this ride of unreason."