John Panteleimon Manoussakis

The essays here are all of high caliber, and there is no doubt the authors are plenty qualified to write on the given topics. It's just that, for me, some of the essays digress a little too far from the stated theme of the book and might try the patience of the reader who is looking for some lively discussion of Heidegger's relation to the Greeks. If one is not sufficiently read up on their Holderlin, for example, or even more so their Lacan, then some of the essays might drag as they seem to veer off topic into baroque discussions of material with which the reader might not be readily familiar. Nevertheless, the essays are quite good.

The first essay extracts a rather Deleuzo-Heideggerian thesis out of a couple sentences from Hesiod's Theogony. In re-contextualizing (or de-contextualizing as the case may be) Chaos as it "comes-to-be" in Hesiod, and equating it with difference in itself or the ontological gap that precedes any and all beings, the author argues that even Hesiod was aware of the ontological primacy of difference over identity.

Next is an essay tracking part of the Beitrage, or Heidegger's Contributions to Philosophy, making a series of obscure remarks regarding its prophetic calls for a "new beginning" for philosophy/thinking. This new beginning is usually taken to be that which is to come, that which will replace and make a clean break from the first beginning of the Greeks which suffers from a forgetfullness of being. The author here uses her specialized knowledge of Plato and Aristotle to question whether a radical and complete break with this first beginning is really what Heidegger speaks of, or if this new beginning is rather something closer to an intertwining, or perhaps an as of yet suppressed full self-realization of itself.

The Intractable Interrelationship of Physis and Techne discusses just that, bringing the Greek words traditionally understood to signify Nature and Craftsmanship respectively into sight through Heidegger's treatment of them via his views on art and technology. Natural beings are juxtaposed with produced beings in that, through techne, produced beings aren't created, but rather revealed out of physis through logos with a view to telos, whereas natural beings come to be on their own, with an arche immanent to that thing. Then dynamis and metabole get involved along with the help of poiesis to make physis also depend on techne by parsing the change that occurs in natural objects as more of an exchange than an imposition. Lots of italicized Greek words here, but basically physis always depends on techne and techne always depends on physis.

The plan with this review was to write briefly on each essay, quickly expounding the major theses therein, until it became clear that some of the material reached into areas outside of my immediate comfort zone. So before spoiling the lot, or delving into some of the essays with which I might not be adequately able to offer enough learned criticism, I'll leave the majority of the essays untouched, and give the simple warning that Heidegger and the Greeks bring with them some company to the party, so come prepared.… (mais)