Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
newstatesman.com
Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
1–10 of 45 posts
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#2Once discredited by his association with Nazism, Martin Heidegger is enjoying a posthumous revival. So what is it about his ideas that resonate with so many?
It seems like the situation is exactly the opposite. Heidegger was considered a leading throughout the 20th century and it is only in the last few years that the intensity of his NAZI affiliations has become evident (as well as the degree to which he mix philosophy and politics), leaving his philosophy much more suspect.
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#3Even though Heidegger was a nazi, he had a close relationship with Hannah Arendt, who was a Jewish political philosopher. Weird to conceive of holding nazi ideology in your head whilst dating Arendt.
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#4Once discredited by his association with Nazism, Martin Heidegger is enjoying a posthumous revival. So what is it about his ideas that resonate with so many? It seems like the situation is exactly the opposite. Heidegger was considered a leading throughout the 20th century and it is only in the last few years that the intensity of his NAZI affiliations has become evident (as well as the degree to which he mix philoso…
Are you suggesting that concepts like Dasein's thrown-ness into the world, the readiness-to-hand of tools, and other Heideggerian ideas, which have nothing to do with Nazism, should now be subject to suspicion on account of their originator's political affiliations?
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#5Once discredited by his association with Nazism, Martin Heidegger is enjoying a posthumous revival. So what is it about his ideas that resonate with so many? It seems like the situation is exactly the opposite. Heidegger was considered a leading throughout the 20th century and it is only in the last few years that the intensity of his NAZI affiliations has become evident (as well as the degree to which he mix philoso…
Yes, this is exactly what has happened in the recent years, with the publishing of his black notebooks. I wonder how they could completely reverse the situation?!
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#6Once discredited by his association with Nazism, Martin Heidegger is enjoying a posthumous revival. So what is it about his ideas that resonate with so many? It seems like the situation is exactly the opposite. Heidegger was considered a leading throughout the 20th century and it is only in the last few years that the intensity of his NAZI affiliations has become evident (as well as the degree to which he mix philoso…
It hasn’t been just the last few years. Heidegger’s Nazism became an issue already in the 1960s, when other intellectuals like Paul Celan struggled to reconcile his philosophical insights with his actions during the Hitler regime.
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#7Even though Heidegger was a nazi, he had a close relationship with Hannah Arendt, who was a Jewish political philosopher. Weird to conceive of holding nazi ideology in your head whilst dating Arendt.
Slightly tangential, but Hannah Arendt, in addition to being a political philosopher, wrote a fairly thought-provoking tome called 'The Origins of Totalitarianism'. Worth a read if one is interested in such things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Totalitarianism
I'm not completely well-versed in Heidegger, but is it possible that he did not hold his Nazi beliefs so close to his heart that true love (corny, I know) could not usurp those feelings? I would not suggest that a man such as Heidegger would not be forthcoming in his beliefs, but I do think it's possible that him (and others throughout history) adopted political beliefs partially out of convenience. Sometimes, it's difficult to tell the lengths to which someone holds their convictions.
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#8Even though Heidegger was a nazi, he had a close relationship with Hannah Arendt, who was a Jewish political philosopher. Weird to conceive of holding nazi ideology in your head whilst dating Arendt.
Even weirder, before their love letters were published, Richard Rorty wrote a kind of hypothetical apology for Heidegger where he says "Well, if his life had been different and his lover were Jewish, maybe he could have had the same philosophy but not been a literal Nazi"—except he totally did have a Jewish lover and a Jewish mentor professor and still, Nazi.
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#9Even though Heidegger was a nazi, he had a close relationship with Hannah Arendt, who was a Jewish political philosopher. Weird to conceive of holding nazi ideology in your head whilst dating Arendt.
Arendt actually met Heidegger prior to the rise of the Nazi party. That said, Arendt continued corresponding with Heidegger long after he officially joined the Nazi party. It was definitely a weird, problematic relationship.
What's worse imo is Heidegger's treatment of Edmund Husserl. I don't think it would be a stretch to say Heidegger threw Husserl under a bus when the Nazis came to power.
Re: Heidegger, the homesick philosopher
#10Once discredited by his association with Nazism, Martin Heidegger is enjoying a posthumous revival. So what is it about his ideas that resonate with so many? It seems like the situation is exactly the opposite. Heidegger was considered a leading throughout the 20th century and it is only in the last few years that the intensity of his NAZI affiliations has become evident (as well as the degree to which he mix philoso…
Are you suggesting that concepts like Dasein's thrown-ness into the world, the readiness-to-hand of tools, and other Heideggerian ideas, which have nothing to do with Nazism, should now be subject to suspicion on account of their originator's political affiliations?
I don't know if the OP suggested that Heidegger's philosophy should now be suspect, but rather claimed that his philosophy in the eyes of academia and the public has garnered more scrutiny simply because of his ties.
If some great painting was found to have been created by a Nazi, would the merit of the art be suspect in the eyes of art historians and the public? I wouldn't think so, but of course it's a different medium entirely.