Related Terms • existentialism • ontology • phenomenology • Dasein

Name:
Martin Heidegger

Dates:
Born: September 22, 1889 in Messkirch, Germany
Died: May 26, 1976 in Messkirch, Germany

Specialization:
Phenomenology
Ontology
Theology

Major Works:
Sein und Zeit (English: Being and Time, 1927)
Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics (1929)
What is Called Thinking (1954)
Identity and Difference (1957)
Basic Problems of Phenomenology (1975)

Biography:
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher who used Husserl's ideas about phenomenology in an effort to better understand the nature of "Being" - i.e., questions about ontology. As a result, Heidegger developed a philosophy in which he argued that the nature of human existence involved active participation in the world, regardless of what that participation entailed. This he labeled "being there," in German Dasein.

Heidegger's philosophy is sometimes overshadowed by the enthusiastic support he showed for the Nazis and their education policies when he served as the Rector for the University of Freiburg 1933-34. He not only publicly converted to National Socialism, but he also deliberately distanced himself from Husserl, a Jewish philosopher whom he had previously admired. Because of this, Heidegger was suspended from all teaching duites after the war from 1945 to 1950. The exact scope and nature of his Nazi sympathies remains a matter of debate.

Important Works:

Being and Time (1927)
What is Metaphysics? (1929)
Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics (1929)
On the Essence of Reason (1929)
On the Essence of Truth (1943)
Introduction to Metaphysics (1953)
What is Thinking? (1954)
On the Question of Being (1955)
What is Philosophy? (1956)
Identity and Difference (1957)
The Question Concerning the Thing (1962)
Phenomenology and Theology (1970)

Also Known As: none

Alternate Spellings: none

Common Misspellings: none

Related Resources:

Biographies of Philosophers
This index of biographical index of famous philosophers throughout history includes many others who have contributed to our understanding of human nature and life - including sociologists, psychologists, scientists, and more.

What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?