> I am not a Heideggerian. I realize that I may incur the
>disapprobation of many on this list for the following comments. But I cannot
>restrain myself here. I think that Heidegger's work is brilliant, but it
>also exhibits a clear failure of character on his part. This flaw was
>evident to all who knew him (i.e., Gadamer, Loewith, Klein, Strauss,
>et.al.). I find it incredible that this post suggests (both above and below
>my comments) that there is a credible explanation of Heidegger's
>relationship with the Nazis other than that Heideeger was a fullblooded
>Nazi. Even though Heidegger was at odds with the Nazis about the biological
>grounding of National Socialism, he still ardently believed in Hitler and
>the goals of the party.
Interesting choice of words in using "fullblooded," given that Heidegger
opposed the biological (blood) part of Nazism. If he opposed the racist
doctrine of National Socialism, how could he ardently believe in the goals
of the party?
Anyway, the point of my post is not to excuse Heidegger, much less to
ennoble him, but to find the grounds for his involvement.
His loyalty was also a betrayal of his own
>anti-technological, anti-metaphysical thought. Heidegger's complicity cannot
>be ennobled by appeal to such claims as he was trying to steer the party in
>a more philosophical direction because of some vision of the whole.This is
>the worst form of romanticism. What the episode with the Nazis suggests is
>that Heidegger was a man who also had ambitions that caused him to put to
>use his thought and stature in society to rationalize his conduct.
>
>>The trick in explaining Heidegger's Nazism is to explain why he joined,
>>why he left, and why after he left he held to a "true" National Socialism
>>that was at odds with the actual party which had betrayed it's true
>>possibilities. The last point implies either an incredible stubborness
>>and refusal to admit one's failure, or, as I think, it implies a unity of
>>thinking which underlies the whole. The reason I like my theory is that
>>it can explain all three points. He joined because he thought National
>>Socialism constituted a recognition of a new metaphysics, he left when it
>>became apparent that it wasn't (its biologism was yet another form of the
>>predominate metaphysics), and it can explain the distinction Heidegger
>>raises between authentic National Socialism and the stupid party.
>
>Heidegger claims that he left the Nazis, but there is another version of
>this that is consistent with his own remarks: when he realized that he could
>not fulfill his own political aspirations then he left the party. That is
>more in line with the facts than the above. I think that unless we realize
>the extent to which Heidegger was involved in the politics of the times, one
>will be tempted to ascribe to him such romantic motives.
And what were his political aspirations? I mean, it's obvious he left
because he felt the party was moving away from where he wanted it to go.
The questions remaining are: in what direction did he want it to move?
What did he see in 1932/3 that would lead him to think National Socialism
would move in that direction?
You seem to assume that Heidegger was motivated by pure personal ambition
that was aimless. Not only is this manifestly not true of Heidegger, I
don't think it is true of any political actor outside of recent major US
presidential candidates.
I cannot say that purely intellectual motives spurred him. In all action
there is a mishmash of motives, desires, goals, incomplete information, and
the like. Particularly, I think the influence of his wife, who was far
more an ardent Nazi than Martin, cannot be overlooked (behind every Macbeth
there stands a Lady Macbeth :) ) Or his sons, both of whom were involved in
right-oriented student groups. Then there is his nationalism, his
militarism, his gut-level hatred of the bourgeoisie and the Weimar
Republic, etc. The Nazi's opposition to the Catholic Church and Communism
certainly played a prominent part.
Above all though, he claims he wanted a metaphysical revolution. My own
investigation wants to explain the nature of this metaphysical revolution,
why it is political in nature, and why the Nazis for this particular
metaphysical revolution. Certainly one must investigate the relation
Heidegger's "private" National Socialism to the very public one.
Chris
_______________________________________________________________________
We will stand nowhere, where the flamethrower has not completed through
annihilation the great cleansing. - Ernst Juenger
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