Martin Heidegger: His Life and Philosophy

The Living Philosophy

Martin Heidegger is the greatest philosopher of the 20th century for many — from Giles Deleuze to the alt-right and undoubtedly one of the most controversial characters in the history of philosophy. In this episode we are going to look at the life and philosophy of Martin Heidegger and his masterpiece Being and Time. We also explore his lesser-known later philosophy after going through what scholars call 'Die Kehre' or 'The Turn". At this point, we see Heidegger on technology and the dangers the technological worldview presents to us today. We also talk about his association with the National Socialist party in Germany and Heidegger's controversial embrace of them as rector at the University of Freiburg before turning his back on them as being part of the technological problem.

Further Reading:

• Collins, J., 2015. Introducing Heidegger: A graphic guide. Icon Books Ltd.
• Wheeler, Michael, "Martin Heidegger", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.)
• Frede, D., 1993. The question of being: Heidegger’s project. The Cambridge Companion to Heidegger, 2.