Heidegger criticized Plato alleging that all metaphysics is Platonism and that metaphysics is a misunderstanding and falsification of the question of Being. Is it possible to defend Platonism against this Heideggerian accusation? Three thinkers among Heidegger's first generation of students answered this question affirmatively, and appropriated Platonic philosophy in order to respond to Heidegger's critique and to criticize his thought more broadly. Antoine Pageau-St Hilaire examines the Platonic critiques of Heidegger found in the works of Leo Strauss, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Gerhard Krüger in the context from which they emerged, namely the intellectual constellation of Marburg as shaped by Marburg Neo-Kantian Platonism and the philological innovations of Paul Friedländer. His rich study illuminates neglected aspects of the reception of Plato in the German tradition, and presents a new narrative of developments in post-Heideggerian thought.

‘Pageau-St Hilaire reads with exceptional clarity and insight four pivotal figures, Heidegger and three of his most gifted students: Strauss, Gadamer, and Krüger. Krüger is largely unknown in the Anglophone world, especially compared with Gadamer, and so Pageau-St Hilaire's contextual elucidation will open up long neglected avenues for research. His treatment of Heidegger's confrontation early in his career with the Marburg school Neo-Kantian Platonism, as well as his judicious discussion of contemporary debates about Heidegger's interpretation of Plato, will make this book essential reading for anyone interested in the reception of Plato in Continental philosophy and beyond.'

Gregory Fried - Boston College