The Essence of Human Freedom: An Introduction to Philosophy (Athlone Contemporary European Thinkers)

The Essence of Human Freedom, in its first complete translation into English, derives from a course of lectures delivered at Freiburg in 1930. It presents Heidegger's most accessible and unified discussion of Greek metaphysics, and the succeeding traditions, together with a profound and searching analysis of the Kantian concepts of Freedom and Causality. Heidegger conceived of this course as a pedagogic strategy for introducing philosophyThis is a fundamental text for understanding Heidegger view of Greek philosophy and its relationship to modern philosophy. After a preliminary discussion of the problem of freedom and its relationship to philosophy, Heidegger devotes Part One primarily to the meaning of "being" in Greek metaphysics, this providing the framework for his interpretation of Kant treatment of freedom and causality in Part Two.In no other work by Heidegger do we find a comparably detailed consideration of Kant's practical philosophy as that given in the present text. Further, in no other work is Heidegger's interpretation of the key Chapter 10 of Aristotle's Metaphysics Theta presented with comparable thoroughness. These lectures were delivered by Heidegger at the University of Freiburg in the summer of 1930.