Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 15:06:43 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re:  Heidegger in Germany


Dear Paul and Micheal,

	I find myself very much in agreement with your responses on this
question. I won't disagree at all that the answer that Henk and I are
seeking must come from an understanding inside not outside heidegger's
thinking. I certainly don't make any claim to having the understanding
of Heidegger's work that either of you have but I have been following
this list for quite a while, have been reading Heidegger's original
works, a few commentaries, working past S&Z, while having a tremendous
respect for this work and its application to my work as a psychologist.

	Paul you are very right to critique the paucity of my arguement.
I can only travel on the coattails of Henk who is much more intimate
with Heidegger than I, So let me try to say a little more clearly
why I have this question that no matter how much I find myself in awe
of Heidegger still bothers me.
	
	That we may not live up to our best behavior despite our thinking
is not a problem for me,as a psychologist I see it everyday, quite often
when I look in the mirror. However, most of us think about our political
affliations before we make a committment. I can't believe that Heidegger
didn't think deeply before he comitted himself and he had to have thought
that there was some affinity between his thought and National Socialism.
I also can't believe that he couldn't see the direction of some of this
movement, clearly, he was politically astute enough to negociate through
the politics of the university system. The question is what connection
did Heidegger see between his thought and the though represented by
National Socialism? I'm not convinced yet by Henk that this is basically
a facist political philosophy, but I'm not convinced that it isn't free
from it either. I not looking for a perfect philosophical system, I gave
up that hope 28 years ago. I don't think that either you Paul, or 
Micheal believe that Heidegger is without flaw. We don't have to call it
"wrong" if you don't want to, Paul. But I do think that Henk's point still
is strong and needs to be answered clearly. What was the connection between
Heidegger's thought and the thought represented by National Socialism?

	I am not intimate enough with Heidegger to articulate this, I
must rely on the others in this list to help with this question. If
we were discussing the relationship of phenomenology to psychology then
I could be much more useful. None the less, I still agreee with Henk,
it is a question that must be answered.

my best regards to Rafeal, Micheal, Paul and Henk,

Greg


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