Being and Time
Being and Time by Martin Heideggerby Martin Heidegger
Shares rank 13 of 30 philosophy books by recommenders
Admirers find its precise descriptions of the world and our embodied being mind-blowing; critics call it dense word play and advise studying philosophy first.
Admirers find its precise descriptions of the world and our embodied being mind-blowing; critics call it dense word play and advise studying philosophy first.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 57%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Precise, insightful descriptions of being
“It shows how our understanding of the world is, again, based on the fact that we are embodied beings.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” “every time, I am blown away how precise Heidegger describes things and the being of things”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” Mind-blowing and rewarding to read
“every time, I am blown away how precise Heidegger describes things and the being of things”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” “Its a wonderful piece of work and mind blowing in its own way.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Word play without clear substance
“Heidegger just seems to play word games with German words without actually saying anything.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” “Yes, I'm ignorant, because Heidegger isn't saying anything. He didn't teach me anything.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” “he's just playing word games with etymologies without saying anything”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"” Dense and hard to absorb
“reading through Being-and-Time in a couple days on Adderall fried some brain cells and my perception of reality permanently”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “The Revenge of the Philosophy Majors” “it is ill advised to approach it without having spent quite some time studying the philosophical tradition”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “The Revenge of the Philosophy Majors”
Other philosophy books people recommend
The four most recommended other philosophy books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao Te Chingby Laozi | 32 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceby Robert Pirsig | 24 | 3 | 89% | 9 | 44 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius | 17 | 4 | 81% | 8 | — | Approved |
| I Am a Strange Loopby Douglas Hofstadter | 16 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Being and Timeby Martin HeideggerThis page | 4 | 3 | 57% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The audiobook version read by Martyn Swain is a godsend for helping one try to grapple with this monster.”
“it is ill advised to approach it without having spent quite some time studying the philosophical tradition”
“reading through Being-and-Time in a couple days on Adderall fried some brain cells and my perception of reality permanently”
“It shows how our understanding of the world is, again, based on the fact that we are embodied beings.”
“Yes, I'm ignorant, because Heidegger isn't saying anything. He didn't teach me anything.”
“Its a wonderful piece of work and mind blowing in its own way.”
“he's just playing word games with etymologies without saying anything”
“their theories and ideas are highly outdated, even ancient”
“every time, I am blown away how precise Heidegger describes things and the being of things”
“Heidegger just seems to play word games with German words without actually saying anything.”
“Heidegger made contributions that cannot be avoided.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.