Theodore Kisiel, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 at Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...

, is a well-known translator of and commentator on the works of Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...

. Kisiel is known for his research on the development of Heidegger's early thought. Among his students are Steven Crowell

Steven Crowell

Steven Crowell is an American philosopher who has taught at Rice University since 1983 and is currently the department chair. Dr. Crowell earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Yale University in 1981...

 and Govert Schüller

Govert Schüller

Govert Schüller is a Dutch-American author who writes about Jiddu Krishnamurti and Theosophy. He studied philosophy at the University of Leiden and the University of Amsterdam...

.

According to Kisiel, Heidegger views the entire history of both Eastern

Eastern philosophy

Eastern philosophy includes the various philosophies of Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Iranian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Indian philosophy and Korean philosophy...

 and Western philosophy

Western philosophy

Western philosophy is the philosophical thought and work of the Western or Occidental world, as distinct from Eastern or Oriental philosophies and the varieties of indigenous philosophies....

 (starting with Parmenides

Parmenides

Parmenides of Elea was an ancient Greek philosopher born in Elea, a Greek city on the southern coast of Italy. He was the founder of the Eleatic school of philosophy. The single known work of Parmenides is a poem, On Nature, which has survived only in fragmentary form. In this poem, Parmenides...

) as dominated by ontology

Ontology

Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...

, or "the metaphysics

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...

 of permanent presence". Heidegger sees his work as focusing instead on the temporal, contingent, "thrown" existence of the individual.

Works

• The Genesis of Heidegger's Being and Time
  Being and Time
  Being and Time is a book by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Although written quickly, and despite the fact that Heidegger never completed the project outlined in the introduction, it remains his most important work and has profoundly influenced 20th-century philosophy, particularly...
  
  , 1993
• Heidegger's Way of Thought: Critical and Interpretative Signposts, 2002 ISBN 0-8264-5736-3

External links

• The Genesis of Heidegger's Being and Time
• Heidegger's Way of Thought