Martin Heidegger's philosophical works devoted themselves to challenging previously held ontological notions of what constitutes "being," and much of his work focused on how beings interact within particular spatial locations. Frequently, Heidegger used the motifs of homelessness and homecoming in order to express such spatial interactions, and despite early and continued recognition of the importance of homelessness and homecoming, this is the first sustained study of these motifs in his later works.

Utilizing both literary and philosophical analysis, Heidegger and Homecoming reveals the deep figural unity of the German philosopher's writings, by exploring not only these homecoming and homelessness motifs, but also the six distinctive voices that structure the apparent disorder of his works. In this illuminating and comprehensive study, Robert Mugerauer argues that these motifs and Heidegger's many voices are required to overcome and replace conventional and linear methods of logic and representation.

Making use of material that has been both neglected and yet to be translated into English, Heidegger and Homecoming explains the elaborate means with which Heidegger proposed that humans are able to open themselves to others, while at the same time preserve their self-identity.

themes among the essays resurface and resonate. Though our request for essays was broad and open-ended, we found that topics such as seeing, authenticity, interpretation, wholeness, care, and dwelling ran as undercur rents throughout. Our major hope is that each essay plays a part in revealing a larger whole of meaning which says much about a more humane relation ship with places, environments and the earth as our home. Part I. Beginnings and directions At the start, we recognize the tremendous debt this volume owes to philosopher Martin Heidegger (1890-1976), whose ontological excavations into the nature of human existence and meaning provide the philosophical foundations for many of the essays, particularly those in Part I of the volume. Above all else, Heidegger was regarded by his students and colleagues as a master teacher. He not only thought deeply but was also able to show others how to think and to question. Since he, perhaps more than anyone else in this century, provides the instruction for dOing a phenomenology and hermeneutic of humanity's existential situation, he is seminal for phenomenological and hermeneutical research in the environmental disci plines. He presents in his writings what conventional scholarly work, especially the scientific approach, lacks; he helps us to evoke and under stand things through a method that allows them to come forth as they are; he provides a new way to speak about and care for our human nature and environment."

In this pioneering book, Robert Mugerauer seeks to make deconstruction and hermeneutics accessible to people in the environmental disciplines, including architecture, planning, urban studies, environmental studies, and cultural geography.

Mugerauer demonstrates each methodology through a case study. The first study uses the traditional approach to recover the meaning of Jung's and Wittgenstein's houses by analyzing their historical, intentional contexts. The second case study utilizes deconstruction to explore Egyptian, French neoclassical, and postmodern attempts to use pyramids to constitute a sense of lasting presence. And the third case study employs hermeneutics to reveal how the American understanding of the natural landscape has evolved from religious to secular to ecological since the nineteenth century.

Because many people and ecosystems share_or constitute_any given place, they all have a stake in the outcome of what any of us do in regard to environmental problems. It is not surprising that issues are hotly contested given the many divergent interests, needs, and preferences of a community's members, much less those of people 'downstream' who are affected by the consequences of our actions or of 'outside' parties who play a part, including those who would speak on behalf of the ecosystems. Thus, we not only must make careful individual decisions concerning the environment, but need to improve the way we operate socially, especially given the roles and responsibilities we have as environmental professionals, private-sector developers, public policy-makers and staff, or engaged citizens. To aid in resolving our environmental dilemmas, Mugerauer and Manzo focus on the decision making process. Their goal is to help readers become more aware of the worldviews, beliefs, and values that enter into the decisions they make and to better resolve differences with others. To guide readers in thinking about their own positions and how to approach ethical decisions, Mugerauer and Manzo employ a number of exercises and cases to investigate the choices and issues that different stakeholders face (for example, concerning sustainability). Additionally, the book presents alternatives in terms of formalized ethical principles, the major ethical theories, and professional codes of ethics.