Martin Heidegger
Early Life and Education
Martin Heidegger was born on September 26, 1889, in Messkirch, a small town in the Baden-Württemberg region of southwestern Germany. He was raised in a devout Catholic family, and his father worked as a sexton in the local church. Heidegger's early education was at the local Gymnasium, from which he graduated in 1909. He then enrolled at the University of Freiburg to study theology, with the intention of becoming a priest.
However, Heidegger soon developed a keen interest in philosophy, particularly after reading the works of Friedrich Nietzsche. He switched his major to philosophy and studied under the guidance of the eminent philosopher Edmund Husserl, who is considered the founder of phenomenology. Heidegger's doctoral thesis, completed in 1913, was on the philosophy of Duns Scotus, a medieval scholastic philosopher.
Career and Philosophical Work
After completing his doctorate, Heidegger remained at the University of Freiburg as Husserl's assistant. He began teaching as a Privatdozent, or lecturer, in 1915. In 1923, he accepted a position as an associate professor at the University of Marburg, where he taught until 1928. During this period, he developed his central philosophical ideas, which he published in his seminal work, Being and Time (Sein und Zeit), in 1927.
In Being and Time, Heidegger explores the concept of "being" (Sein) in a radical and original way, moving away from traditional metaphysical conceptions. He introduces the term "Dasein" to refer to the human way of being, characterized by its self-awareness and its capacity to question its own existence and meaning. Heidegger argues that understanding the nature of Dasein is key to understanding the nature of being itself.
In 1928, Heidegger returned to the University of Freiburg to succeed Husserl as the chair of philosophy. During this period, he began to distance himself from the phenomenological approach of his mentor and moved towards what he called "fundamental ontology". His later works, such as The Origin of the Work of Art (1935) and Introduction to Metaphysics (1953), reflect this shift in his thought.
Political Controversy
Heidegger's career was marked by a significant political controversy. In 1933, shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power, Heidegger joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), better known as the Nazi Party. He served as the rector of the University of Freiburg from 1933 to 1934, during which time he implemented several policies in line with Nazi ideology.
Heidegger's affiliation with the Nazi Party has been a subject of intense debate among scholars. Some argue that his political engagement was a result of naivety or opportunism, while others see a deeper connection between his philosophical ideas and Nazi ideology. Heidegger himself never publicly apologized for his involvement with the Nazi Party, and his later works do not explicitly address the issue.
Later Life and Death
After World War II, Heidegger was banned from teaching due to his Nazi affiliation. However, he was allowed to resume his academic activities in 1951. He continued to write and lecture until his retirement in 1958. Heidegger's later works focused on language, art, and technology, and their relationship with being.
Heidegger died on May 26, 1976, in Freiburg. His philosophical work continues to be influential in a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, literature, psychology, and architectural theory.
Legacy
Heidegger is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. His work has had a profound impact on a variety of fields, including existentialism, hermeneutics, deconstruction, and postmodernism. Despite the controversy surrounding his political views, his philosophical contributions continue to be studied and debated.