Philosophy and Politics. The Case of Martin Heidegger

The life and philosophy of Martin Heidegger have been irrevocably infected. In 1933, Heidegger took office as Rector of the University of Freiburg and became involved with the Nazis (he also became a member the National Socialist German Workers’ Party). The following text explores the mutual relation between philosophy and politics, with special regard to the possibility of bringing philosophical postulates into political reality. Simultaneously, the paper addresses the open question of dependence of philosophical thinking on practical action and the influence of the latter on the credibility and authenticity of a philosophical message. Heidegger was a great philosopher, arguably the greatest in the 20th century. His involvement in the flagitious system appears to be particularly significant in the context of issues outlined in this paper. It was clearly perceived by his equally great friend Karl Jaspers with whom he shared a friendship founded on common philosophical experience. He...