Parmenides by Martin Heidegger - Jun 1998

Indiana University Press, Jun 1998. New edition. Paperback. 'Parmenides' is ostensibly a discussion of Parmenides' fragments pertaining to the essence of truth. In reality this book is far more than that, being nothing less than a dazzling critique of the evolution of the concept of truth within the history of the last 2000 years of western metaphysics. The recurrent themes of the later Heidegger are all present and correct in this book, in particular his interpetation of 'aletheia', the Greek concept of truth, as unconcealment and his relation of this to the withdrawal and appearance of Being. This book is in essence a collection of Heidegger's lecture notes and for this reason it is one of the easiest works of the later Heidegger to understand. Heidegger writes with exceptional clarity and flair and, most helpfully, succinctly recaps all his key points after each section. Outside of 'the Question concerning technology', this is probably the best place for those unfamiliar to Heidegger's later work to get to grips with his key themes.