Introduction to Martin Heidegger

 Early Life and Education

Martin Heidegger was born in 1889 in Messkirch, a small town in Germany, into a deeply Catholic family. His family had lived in that region for generations, and he always felt a strong connection to his hometown. Despite being offered prestigious positions in major universities, he chose to remain close to his roots.

As a child, Heidegger was active and energetic. He loved swimming and skiing, and he enjoyed ringing the bells of St. Martin’s Church, from which he got his name. He once told a friend that he wanted to become either a priest or a university professor.

Heidegger attended primary school in his hometown before continuing his secondary education in Constance and Freiburg from 1903 to 1909. When he was 17, a priest gave him a book by the philosopher Franz Brentano, On the Manifold Meaning of Being according to Aristotle. This book inspired him to pursue philosophy and made him deeply interested in the question, “What is being?”—a question that would shape his entire career.

University Studies and Early Career

Initially, Heidegger considered becoming a priest. He studied both philosophy and theology and eventually earned a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1913. However, he later changed his mind about joining the priesthood.

World War I interrupted his academic career. He joined the army but was discharged within two months due to health issues. He returned to Freiburg and submitted a research paper on The Doctrine of Judgment in Psychologism (1914), which focused on logic and interpretation. During this period, he also developed an interest in medieval philosophy, particularly the work of Duns Scotus, and was highly skilled in Greek philosophy and mathematics.

In 1917, he was briefly recalled to the army and worked at a meteorological station near Verdun. That same year, he married Elfride Petri, with whom he had two sons in the following years.

Academic Success and "Being and Time"

After the war, Heidegger became an associate professor at Marburg University (1923–1928), where he had some of his most intellectually productive years. In 1927, he published his most famous book, Being and Time. He originally planned to write more volumes, but he later realized that the entire book would need to be rewritten to continue. Despite being incomplete, it became one of the most influential philosophical works of the 20th century.

In 1928, he succeeded his mentor, Edmund Husserl, as a professor at Freiburg University.

Involvement with the Nazi Party and Later Controversy

When Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, Heidegger joined the party and became rector of Freiburg University. Like many Germans at the time, he believed that Hitler could restore the country’s strength. However, as the Nazis started imposing ideological control on universities, Heidegger’s enthusiasm declined. He refused to fire professors who opposed the regime and resigned from his position after ten months.

Later, the Nazi Party punished him for his lack of support by forcing him to dig trenches in 1944. Because of his brief involvement with the party, he faced criticism after the war. The French occupation authorities banned him from teaching, but this ban was lifted in 1951, just before his retirement.

Later Years and Death

Even while he was banned from teaching, Heidegger continued writing important works like On the Essence of Truth (1943) and Letter on Humanism (1947). After 1951, he resumed teaching as an honorary professor and continued to hold seminars until 1967.

Despite receiving invitations to teach abroad, Heidegger preferred to stay in Germany. He lived in Freiburg and often retreated to a ski hut in Todtnauberg, where he wrote many of his philosophical works. However, he did travel to France in 1955 and to Greece in 1962.

Throughout his life, he had friendships with well-known intellectuals, including physicist Werner Heisenberg, theologian Rudolf Bultmann, philosopher Hannah Arendt, and psychologist Viktor Frankl.

Martin Heidegger passed away on May 26, 1976, at the age of 86. He was buried in Messkirch, near the cemetery he walked past every day as a child. Even in his later years, he remained sharp and deeply engaged in philosophical thought.

Link for Video: https://youtu.be/FRPpvHlGzZo

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