Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 01:41:27 +0100
Subject: Re:  Heidegger in Germany


Cologne, 28 January 1999

h.vantuijl-AT-kub.nl schrieb:
> Michael,
>  
> I paraphrased:
> > Leadership is necessary in times like these.
>  
> You paraphrase:
> > Rather leadership is itself a "character mask"
> > demanded by the current seinsgeschichtliche configuration of the being of
>  beings
> > itself.
>  
> Does Heidegger really mean that much to you, that we
> should use _exactly_ the same words as you do? 

Of course not, Henk. It is a matter of the general sense, and in my view your 
paraphrase distorts the sense of the passage cited.

> It is
> a discussion between Rafael and me. 

But I hope, not a private one. I thought the rules of the game are that anyone 
can chip in just about anywhere without causing upset.

> Rafael believes
> that this passage is a criticism of Hitler. I
> paraphrased it _roughly_ to give him an _impression_
> of my view. If I had been more explicit I would have
> referred to parallels with Plato's _Statesman_. Not
> to race and discrimination.

But in both cases you have represented Heidegger as himself propagating pretty 
unsavoury ideas (racism and the leadership of Fuehrern, resp.) when in fact he 
is pointing out -- from a distance -- a necessity or correspondence demanded by 
a certain metaphysical constellation of beings as a whole.

In view of the widespread tendency to bedevil Heidegger, it is at least 
important to take care not to put words into his mouth thus creating the 
impression that he was racist or totalitarian in his thinking. This is merely a 
requirement of good, fair scholarship.

Michael
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