Loyola Marymount University

Term: Fall 2024

Course: Heidegger
Course Number: PHIL 6756
Section Number: 1
Credit Hours: 3
Meeting Time: Th 7:00–9:30 PM
Meeting Location: University Hall 3616
Instructor: Prof. Ian Alexander Moore
Email: [email protected]
Office Location: University Hall 3639
Office Hours: T 3:30–5:00 PM, Th 3:30–6:00 PM, and by appointment

Course Description

Martin Heidegger ranks among the most important, influential, and controversial
philosophers of the twentieth century. The first part of this course will be devoted to studying
significant portions of his early, incomplete magnum opus Being and Time (1927), in which he
undermines the traditional understanding of being as constant presence and instead takes the
finite, death-bound praxis of human existence as his point of departure for ontology. We will
then read Heidegger’s late lecture “Time and Being” (1962), which shifts away from the primacy
of the human being (fundamental ontology) and of the being of beings (metaphysical ontology)
toward a conception of being itself as event of appropriation (Ereignis). After this, we will assess
his critique of Western metaphysics as “ontotheological,” i.e., as conceiving of being either in
terms of beings or simply as a being that grounds all other beings, and reflect on how he
accordingly understands the relation between faith and reason. Finally, we will examine
Heidegger’s writings on the truth of art (1935, 1955, 1957–1958) and an important series of
lectures from 1949 (“Insight into That Which Is,” also known as the “Bremen Lectures”),
wherein Heidegger analyzes such wide-ranging themes as the meaning of mortality, the epochal
history of being, the dangerous effects that planetary technology is having on our relationship to
the world, and the true value of non-objectified things.
While our main focus will be on Heidegger, in my lectures I will occasionally discuss
how Heidegger takes up and transforms ideas of his philosophical predecessors (e.g., Aristotelian
praxis, Augustinian temporality, Kantian transcendentalism, Hegelian history, Kierkegaardian
existentialism, and Husserlian phenomenology), as well as how he influenced subsequent
philosophers (e.g., Derrida, Arendt, Foucault, Levinas, Gadamer, and Schürmann).

Course Objectives

By the end of the semester, students should be able to articulate and critically engage
with the major ideas of Martin Heidegger, in both oral and written form.

Required Books

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1. Martin Heidegger, Being and Time, trans. John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson (New York:
Harper Perennial, 1962/2008). ISBN-10: 0061575593.

2. Martin Heidegger, Identity and Difference. Translated by Joan Stambaugh. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press, 2002. ISBN-10: 0226323781.

3. Martin Heidegger, Bremen and Freiburg Lectures, trans. Andrew J. Mitchell (Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 2012). ISBN-10: 0253002311.

Recommended Books

1. Magda King, A Guide to Heidegger’s Being and Time, ed. John Llewelyn (Albany: SUNY
Press, 2001). ISBN-10: 0791448002. One of the most comprehensive commentaries on Being
and Time in English, with considerable attention paid to both divisions. Uses Stambaugh’s
translation, but not difficult to cross reference.

2. Richard Polt, Heidegger: An Introduction (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1999). A
concise, helpful overview both of Being and Time and of Heidegger’s later thought. ISBN-
10: 0801485649. (A second edition will be released in 2025. ISBN-10: 1501779591).

3. Martin Heidegger, Being and Time, trans. Joan Stambaugh, revised by Dennis Schmidt
(Albany: SUNY Press, 2010). ISBN-10: 1438432763. Less transparent about its decisions than
the required translation, but useful for comparison, especially if you do not know German.
Contains translations of Heidegger’s marginalia to one of his personal copies of Being and Time.

4. Martin Heidegger, The Concept of Time, trans. William McNeill (Oxford: Blackwell, 2002).
ISBN-10: 0631184252. A lecture containing, in early form, many of the central ideas of Being
and Time.

5. Martin Heidegger, The Metaphysics of German Idealism, trans. Ian Alexander Moore and
Rodrigo Therezo (Cambridge: Polity, 2021). ISBN-10: 1509540105. Contains Heidegger’s
clearest and most detailed reappraisal of Being and Time available in English. For those who can
read German, a more extensive, albeit more esoteric, account is available in Martin Heidegger,
Zu eigenen Veröffentlichungen, ed. Friedrich-Wilhelm v. Herrmann (Frankfurt: Klostermann,
2018), ISBN 10: 346500115X.

6. Andrew J. Mitchell, The Fourfold: Reading the Late Heidegger (Evanston, IL: Northwestern
University Press, 2015). ISBN-10: 0810130769. The best and most detailed commentary on the
Bremen Lectures.

7. Reiner Schürmann, Heidegger on Being and Acting: From Principles to Anarchy, trans.
Christine-Marie Gros in collaboration with the author (Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
1987). The best book on Heidegger and political philosophy, and an admirable account of the
entirety of Heidegger’s path of thought.

Requirements

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I expect you to have carefully studied the assigned readings and to attend and participate in the
conversation at every session throughout the semester. Do not be late to class or leave early.

1. Protocol and Question (15% of your final course grade). Each student is expected to give a
presentation of approximately 1,000 words. This presentation should have two parts. The first is
a summary of the previous session (approximately 900 words). The second part is a well-
formulated question about a previous reading or discussion (approximately 100 words). These
reports cannot be made up, so be sure to come prepared on your assigned day. The report should
be uploaded to Brightspace at least fifteen minutes before the start of the session, and you must
bring me a hard copy to annotate during your presentation.

2. Protocol Revision (5% of your final course grade). On Brightspace, I will provide you with
comments within two days of the delivery of your presentation. Within one week of your
presentation, I expect you to have revised it based on my comments and to upload the revised
version to “Submissions” on Brightspace AND to make it available to other students as a
discussion post on Brightspace. Late uploads will not be accepted for credit.

3. Exegetical Paper (25% of your final course grade). Approximately one third of the way
through the semester, you will be required to submit a paper of 1,000–1,500 words explaining a
section, of your choosing, from Being and Time. The aim here is to summarize, in your own
words, what is going on in that section. If you turn the paper in late, five points will be deducted
from the grade for each day that passes after the due date.

4. Book Review (15% of your final course grade). For this assignment, I would like you to write
a 750–1,250-word review of a scholarly book that is related to your research paper and that has
been published within the last three years. I encourage you to discuss options with me throughout
the semester. Your review must be uploaded to Brightspace prior to the start of the last class
session. If you turn the assignment in late, five points will be deducted from the grade for each
day that passes after the due date. My hope is that you will want to revise your reviews and
submit them to a journal for publication once the semester is over.

5. Thesis Statement and Literature Review (10% of your final course grade). For this assignment,
I expect you submit a thesis statement and 100-word summaries of four peer-reviewed journal
articles or book chapters (different from the book you will be reviewing) on the topic of your
final research paper, as well as explanations of how you expect to make use of them. Must be
uploaded to Brightspace prior to the start of the last class session. If you turn the assignment in
late, five points will be deducted from the grade for each day that passes after the due date.

6. Research Paper (30% of your final course grade). A final paper of 3,000–3,500 words (or
3,500–4,000 words; see below) is due at the end of the semester. In contrast to the exegetical
paper, I expect you to argue for a thesis and engage with at least five peer-reviewed secondary
sources. For this paper, you may reuse and expand on your exegetical paper, although in that
case I expect the paper to be between 3,500 and 4,000 words. Due on the Friday of final
examinations week. If you turn the paper in late, five points will be deducted from the grade for

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each day that passes after the due date. I will not accept papers after the Monday following final
examinations week. Nor do I allow for incompletes.

Note: If you study Heidegger carefully, I am confident you will never think the same way again.
However, Heidegger is not an easy read. You should expect to spend approximately ten hours
per week outside of class time on this course and be willing to reread passages multiple times.

NUMBER–LETTER CONVERSION:

100–95 = A
94–90 = A-
89–86 = B+
85–83 = B
82–80 = B-
79–76 = C+
75–73 = C
72–70 = C-
69–65 = D
64–0 = F

Office Hours

Please do not hesitate to come see me during my office hours if you have any questions or would
like to talk about the reading material or what we have been discussing in class. If you cannot
make it during the times specified above, contact me via email and we can arrange another time
to meet that will work for both of us.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism (including the copying of prose from an AI language model) is unacceptable. Anyone
caught plagiarizing will be given a “0” on the assignment in question and be subject to further
disciplinary action. I will not accept as an excuse simply forgetting to cite or acknowledge
sources properly. For more information, visit:
https://academics.lmu.edu/media/lmuacademics/academichonesty/documents/Academic-
Honesty-Policy-2021.pdf.

Classroom Etiquette

You are expected to conduct yourselves professionally and ethically, and to adhere to the
university guidelines and rules concerning classroom behavior. It is expected that everyone will
treat each other with respect and courtesy while in class. See the university guidelines here:
https://lmu.account.box.com/login?redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Flmu.app.box.com%2Fs
%2Fv2x89uspgbx3l23egcz7mjd6dbekcn60.

Special Needs

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If you have any special needs, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can plan
accordingly. The university offers disability support services: https://academics.lmu.edu/dss/.

Academic Resources

Resources for student support are available here: https://academics.lmu.edu/ofd/resources/. I

encourage you to make use of the Writing Center in particular:
https://academics.lmu.edu/arc/writingcenter/.

COVID-19 Precautions

You must remain up-to-date regarding, and adhere to, the evolving university protocols on
COVID-19. Consult the Need-to-Know A-Z Index:
https://www.lmu.edu/together/resources/matrix/#covid.

Sessions

#1 (8/29). Introduction: Heidegger and the Question of Being (on Plato’s Sophist, the Preface
to Being and Time, and Beyond); Being and Time, §§ 1–5 (pp. 21–40).

#2 (9/5). Being and Time, §§ 6–8 (pp. 41–64); Heidegger’s Advertisement for Being and Time
(on Brightspace); Aristotle, De interpretatione, §§1–4 (on Brightspace).

#3 (9/12). Being and Time, p. 65 and §§ 9–13 (pp. 67–90).

#4 (9/19). Being and Time, §§ 14–16 (pp. 91–107), the first part of § 18 (pp. 114–122), pp. 149–
150, and §§ 25–27 (pp. 150–168).

#5 (9/26). Being and Time, §§ 28–34 (pp. 169–211).

#6 (10/3). Being and Time, §§ 35–43 (pp. 211–256).

10/6 Exegetical paper due on Brightspace.

#7 (10/10). Being and Time, §§ 44–53 (pp. 256–311).

#8 (10/17). Being and Time, §§ 54, 58, 60, and 65 (pp. 312–15, 325–35, 341–48, 370–80).

#9 (10/24). Being and Time, §§ 68–69, 74, 83 (pp. 384–418, 434–39, 486–88).

#10 (10/31). Heidegger, “Time and Being” and September 11 session of Heidegger’s 1969
seminar in Le Thor (both on Brightspace).

#11 (11/7). “The Onto-Theo-Logical Constitution of Metaphysics,” in Heidegger, Identity and

Difference, 42–74, and selected passages on faith and reason (on Brightspace).

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#12 (11/14). “Origin of the Work of Art: First Version,” “The Sistine Madonna,” and “Notes on
Klee” (all on Brightspace). (Note: I will be at a conference but will try either to hold class over
Zoom or record a lecture.)

#13 (11/21). “The Point of Reference,” “The Thing,” “Appendix,” and “Positionality,”
in Heidegger, Bremen and Freiburg Lectures, pp. 3–43; “Relapse into Positionality” (on
Brightspace).

#14 (12/5). “The Danger” and “The Turn,” in Heidegger, Bremen and Freiburg Lectures, 44–73;
“Memorial Address” (on Brightspace). Book Review and Thesis Statement and Literature Review
must be uploaded to Brightspace prior to the start of class.

12/13 Final paper due on Brightspace.

Other Research Resources

Dahlstrom, Daniel O. The Heidegger Dictionary. London: Continuum, 2012.

Davis, Bret, ed. Martin Heidegger: Key Concepts. Sixteen essays on concepts in Heidegger such
as hermeneutics, phenomenology, Dasein as being-in-the-world, care, authenticity, the
turn, National Socialism, the work of art, technology, language, and the fourfold. Also
contains a helpful chronological compendium of Heidegger’s comments on Christianity
and divinity. In contrast to the entries in the Heidegger dictionaries and lexicon, these
essays are more detailed.

Dreyfus, Hubert, and Mark Wrathall, eds. A Companion to Heidegger. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005.
Thirty-one essays covering themes and influences in the early Heidegger, Being and
Time, and Heidegger’s later thought.

Dreyfus, Hubert, and Mark Wrathall, eds. Heidegger Reexamined. 4 vols. New York: Routledge,
2002. Essays from a wide range of perspectives on the whole of Heidegger’s thought.

Inwood, Michael. A Heidegger Dictionary. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999.

Polt, Richard, ed. Heidegger’s Being and Time: Critical Essays. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield,
2005. The authors address “general methodological and ontological questions, particular
issues in Heidegger’s text, and the relations between Being and Time and Heidegger’s
later thought.”

Raffoul, François, and Eric S. Nelson. The Bloomsbury Companion to Heidegger. New York:
Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. Especially helpful for beginning research on Heidegger’s
life and his relation to other thinkers and traditions.

Sallis, John, ed. Reading Heidegger: Commemorations. Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
1993. Important essays by scholars from the so-called continental tradition.

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Schalow, Frank, and Alfred Denker. Historical Dictionary of Heidegger’s Philosophy. 3rd ed.
Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.

Wrathall, Mark A., ed. The Cambridge Heidegger Lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2021.

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Note: This syllabus is designed to meet the educational objectives of the course and is, therefore,
subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Any changes will be announced in person
and via email.