Heidegger & the Measure of Truth: Themes From His Early Philosophy

Welcome everyone to the next meetup series that Jen and Philip are presenting! This time around we are reading the book: Heidegger and the Measure of Truth: Themes From His Early Philosophy by Denis McManus.

Click here for the publishers' book description. Due to limited characters, I could not include here. Thank you for your understanding.

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CHAPTERS
Click here for a list of chapters.
The plan is to cover 1 chapter per meeting.

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MEETING DETAILS (2-WEEK ROTATION)
· Starting April 21
· Meetings run every 2 weeks (every other Sunday)
· Accelerated live read format, with live readings to be done on chosen paragraphs
· Read roughly 30-40 pages beforehand
· Pick a few paragraphs to discuss
· 1pm reserved for book topic
· 3pm reserved for free for all

All are welcome. However if you want to speak in the meetup, please be sure to do the assigned reading.

NOTE: We'll be joined by numerous other participants from the Toronto Philosophy Meetup at these meetings –
https://4142298.xyz/the-toronto-philosophy-meetup/events/calendar/

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PURPOSE OF COVERING THIS BOOK

Please note that in this meetup we will be doing philosophy, not history of ideas. We will be trying to find flaws in Heidegger's reasoning and in his mode of presenting his ideas. We will also be trying to improve the ideas in question and perhaps proposing better alternatives. Historians of ideas are people who try to understand ideas from the past. Of course philosophers must try to do this too, but they then go on to critically assess the ideas in question. In this meetup, we will be philosophers and not historians of ideas!

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CLARIFICATION OF THIS MEETUP'S ATTITUDE TO HEIDEGGER'S RACISM

Philip writes: I feel that it is important to be clear up front about how the topic of Heidegger's racist politics will be dealt with in this meetup. Throughout his life (starting as a very young man) Heidegger was drawn to far right wing, nationalist, racist views which any reasonable person should find loathsome. Yet when it comes to thinking about the way the world is and what it means to be a human in that world, Heidegger is arguably the most important philosopher of the twentieth century. Some meetups rule out any discussion of Heidegger's politics, even though this is a core aspect of Heidegger's way of thinking. This meetup will not do that. In this meetup, we will make room for discussion of how Heidegger's politics may relate to his ideas on ontology and being human. Also, it will be possible in this meetup to consider whether Heidegger's ideas on ontology and being human shaped his politics. These questions will certainly not be the main focus of the meetup (far from it). But these questions will not be ignored either.

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OTHER PHILOSOPHERS IN THIS BOOK

Please note that Denis McManus's book refers to many other philosophers, both living and dead. No one should feel overwhelmed by the task of learning about these other philosophers since Philip will fill in the relevant background information on these philosophers as they come up.

The one possible exception is Kant. The Denis McManus book does mention Kant from time to time. Although Kant is the philosopher that Philip knows best, Kant's philosophy is so vast and intricate that it just does not lend itself to easy summarization. Philip will do his best to explicate Kant when Kant's name comes up – but it is a Herculean task!

There is an awful lot of nonsense written about Kant which is widely circulated (and widely believed) in the English speaking world. Anyone who wants to explore in any depth the parts of the McManus book which deal with Kant should consider reading one of the following excellent books about Kant:

• Kant's Transcendental Idealism: An Interpretation and Defense (second edition, 2004) by Henry E. Allison. This book gives a great overview of many of the various ways of interpreting Kant. It also gives an interpretation which Philip thinks is (in broad outline) basically on the right track. However, even if you do not accept Allison's interpretation, this book is invaluable in helping the reader overcome the interpretations.
• Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: An Introduction and Interpretation
  by James O'Shea.