Nazis: Heil, Heidegger?

Was the work of one of this century's most influential philosophers marred by his allegiance to the Nazi movement? That is the central question in a debate that has been raging since the publication last October of a new book on German Philosopher Martin Heidegger. The volume, Heidegger and Nazism, was written by Chilean Scholar Victor Farias and published in France after two West German houses rejected the manuscript. Although scholars have long known about Heidegger's early flirtation with National Socialism, he was generally thought to have become disenchanted with Hitler well before the outbreak of World War II. With new documentation, Farias charges that Heidegger, who died in 1976, was a lifelong anti-Semite and a devoted, dues-paying party member until the end of the war. Farias also notes that Heidegger went out of his way to praise Hitler to his colleagues and failed even after the war to criticize Nazi atrocities and genocide.

In France, where Heidegger's concepts of "authenticity" and liberty powerfully influenced the Existentialists, many intellectuals have rushed to his defense. Philosopher Francois Fedier called Farias' charges a "misinterpretation," while Author Andre Glucksmann, although not a supporter of Heidegger's ideas, mockingly compared the work to a "police dossier."