Crosslisted with 01:730:316:01 and 16:470:672:01
Martin Heidegger counts among the most influential but also the most problematic thinkers of the 20th century. His 1927 magnum opus Being and Time revolutionized the history of philosophy and became a foundational text for existentialism, phenomenology, deconstruction, object-oriented ontology, and other philosophical movements. Heidegger’s innovative ideas and terminology, the way in which his thinking attunes itself to language, and his critique of modern technology have been widely influential. At the same time, the philosopher from the Black Forest pledged allegiance to Hitler’s regime as early as 1933 and remained a member of the Nazi party until 1945. In his private notebooks from that period, we can find anti-Semitic remarks and suppositions. Heidegger’s case thus forces us to confront how we should approach the archive of a politically discredited author. The course will introduce students to Heidegger’s ideas and their aftermath, relevant moments in his biography, and the ethical and political discussions surrounding them.
Taught as a 3-hour block period.
In English. No prerequisites. Fulfills core requirements AHo, WCd.