Heidegger life and Philosophy 4 of 6

The world does not want to know the truth. Anyone who has read and at least half understood a novel by Dostoyevsky, for instance, will know that the world will always persecute the one who comes along with the truth ... The world wants an easy truth which everyone can (given the right training) understand and which causes no suffering. That's why we have "science".

But the real truth is not at all comforting. It is tragic. The world will do the vilest things to prevent its appearance.

Flawed like any other person. It is a problem though when people use his past to sidestep the problems he utters in his thinking. The way he reinvents philosophy is too important to mark him a nazi and go on never to think of it again. It still can be useful though, when one takes the knowledge of his political dubiousness into account when questioning the role fundamental thinking can have in the ´real´ world.

Well thanks for at least agreeing about this documentary. I also agree that many of the accusations against him may be substantially true, but this whole affair really has no bearing on whether his philosophy was true or not. One thing we can be sure of is that fundamentally it was never a political philosophy. I'm a completely apolitical person myself and that's how I choose to read Heidegger. Whether that's a "correct" reading I don't know or much care. But I just hate this kind of journalism.

Zarakhast, You´re right in the fact that this documentary is a grossly tendentious bit of work with a clear agenda. You´re also right in the fact Heidegger is an unique thinker and possibly one of the greatest ever. I believe, judging from your knowledge on the subject, that you are in fact someone who studied him, or still does. There´s a particular power of him to capture anyone that´s reading him, the Heidegger Begeisterung. But don´t let this blind you. He´s flawed as well..

Damned interesting story.

Shame on Rorty and Sheehan - who could bear to read either of these inferior thinkers anyway ? They really are third rate at best and certainly not in any position to judge a great such as Heidegger - but then that is quite fitting : third rate thinkers always become critics. Nietzsche said as much several times. There is never even once in this series of videos any discussion of the question for which Heidegger is famous, the question of Being.... It's just blatant muck-raking.

Metaphysics is Da-sein ; i.e. human being is essentially metaphysical. But 'metaphysics' in the sense of that period of thinking from Plato to Nietzsche is over : has been completed. At the end of this period the great thought with which Western history as such began - that of eternal return - was voiced again - but not 'thought'. The great thought came back - but still nothing really happened. Why ? These questions are tackled at length in Heidegger's lectures on Nietzsche.

Heidegger's "thinking of Being" (which implies also the genuine Being (i.e. reality) of thinking) will continue to resonate, whatever happens in the "worldly" dimension. Philosophy was never for the "worldly" in any case - any more than true religion has ever been.

The question of Being is THE fundamental one. Prior to it, as its gateway, lies the fundamental question of metaphysics - as outlined in Heidegger's Introduction to Metaphysics.

"History is written by the victors" : this video (not that it will have much impact) is a perfect example of this dictum.

I'm as horrified as most people at the lengths the Nazis were prepared to go to, but I'm equally certainly no supporter of the world as we see it today.

What I'm more concerned about, however, is the spiritual degeneration not only of mankind in general but of so-called "philosophers" (and artists). Philosophy is not - never has been and never will be - for "everyman".

Absolutely ! While there may (or may not) be some truth in some of the accusations levelled against Heidegger's "collusion" with the Nazis, the topic itself is hardly philosophical. And since all politics has its roots in philosophy people would do better to first of all actually involve themselves in philosophical thinking, i.e. in the problems of philosophy.