Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger
Born	26 September 1889 Meßkirch, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Died	26 May 1976 (aged 86) Meßkirch, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
School tradition	Existentialism Metaphysics Postmodernism
Nationality	German

Martin Heidegger (26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a Nazi philosopher and postmodernist. He criticized the rationalism of Western philosophy and claimed that technology removes the intrinsic value of people and objects. He inspired anti-Marxist liberal French intellectuals during the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, fascists such as Aleksandr Dugin and Richard Spencer have promoted his works. Steve Bannon called Heidegger "my guy."

Early career

Heidegger blamed the post-WW1 economic crisis on Jews and glorified war. He was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, Carl Schmitt, and Ernst Jünger (a prominent National Bolshevik).

In 1927, he wrote Being and Time, which was centered around the metaphysical concept of Dasein (existence). He rejected all other philosophies, both ancient and modern, because they did not focus on the issue of existence itself.

Nazi involvement

Heidegger praised Mein Kampf in 1931. He joined the Nazi Party on 1 May 1933 and made a series of speeches in support of the Third Reich. He was aligned with the Strasserist faction of the Nazi Party, which emphasized social benefits for Aryan workers but was also highly racist and nationalist. He pushed the University of Freiburg to the right and expelled Jewish faculty.

During the war, he claimed that Jews were predisposed to criminality and that they controlled the UK, USA, and Soviet Union. Like Nietzsche, he believed that democracy led to "a degenerate form of nihilism."

Post-war

Heidegger said that Allied war crimes during the Second World War were a thousand times worse than those of the Nazis. His works were banned in Germany until the 1980s.