Heidegger's Children: Hannah Arendt, Karl Löwith, Hans Jonas, and Herbert Marcuse

by Richard Wolin, Richard Wolin (Preface by)

Overview

"Not the least of Martin Heidegger's contributions to twentieth-century thought was his ability to inspire gifted disciples who read him against the grain, producing political theories very different from the ideology endorsed by the master, to his eternal disgrace, in l933. Looking closely at four of the most talented of their number, Richard Wolin,with the provocative directness his readers have come to expect, argues that troubling residues remain not far beneath the surface of their influential work. Heidegger's Children is a book that many will seek to refute, but none can ignore." (Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley) "This is an exceedingly important book that goes right to the core of debates about modernity and the human condition. It is both timely and enduringly important. It is also engrossing—provocative in some places, deeply insightful in others. More than a significant contribution to the field, it constitutes a new field in its own right. Wolin has defined a philosophical Pandora's box, and his interpretation is going to initiate some agonized soul-searching." (Michael Ermarth, Dartmouth College)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691168616
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	08/25/2015
Edition description:	New
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	816,758
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Richard Wolin is Distinguished Professor of History at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is the author of The Politics of Being, The Heidegger Controversy, and The Terms of Cultural Criticism, and he served as academic consultant for the BBC documentary Heidegger: Design for Living. He is a frequent contributor to the New Republic and Dissent.

Table of Contents

Preface to the New Paperback Edition xi

Preface xlix

PROLOGUE "Todesfuge" and "Todtnauberg" 1

ONE Introduction: Philosophy and Family Romance 5

TWO The German-Jewish Dialogue: Way Stations of Misrecognition 21

THREE Hannah Arendt: Kultur, "Thoughtlessness," and Polis Envy 30

FOUR Karl Lowith: The Stoic Response to Modern Nihilism 70

FIVE Hans Jonas: The Philosopher of Life 101

SIX Herbert Marcuse: From Existential Marxism to Left Heideggerianism 134

SEVEN Arbeit Macht Frei: Heidegger As Philosopher of the German "Way" 173

EXCURSUS Being and Time: A Failed Masterpiece? 203

Conclusion 233

Notes 239

Index 271

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Not the least of Martin Heidegger's contributions to twentieth-century thought was his ability to inspire gifted disciples who read him against the grain, producing political theories very different from the ideology endorsed by the master, to his eternal disgrace, in l933. Looking closely at four of the most talented of their number, Richard Wolin, with the provocative directness his readers have come to expect, argues that troubling residues remain not far beneath the surface of their influential work. Heidegger's Children is a book that many will seek to refute, but none can ignore."—Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley

"This is an exceedingly important book that goes right to the core of debates about modernity and the human condition. It is both timely and enduringly important. It is also engrossing—provocative in some places, deeply insightful in others. More than a significant contribution to the field, it constitutes a new field in its own right. Wolin has defined a philosophical Pandora's box, and his interpretation is going to initiate some agonized soul-searching."—Michael Ermarth, Dartmouth College

Martin Jay

Not the least of Martin Heidegger's contributions to twentieth-century thought was his ability to inspire gifted disciples who read him against the grain, producing political theories very different from the ideology endorsed by the master, to his eternal disgrace, in l933. Looking closely at four of the most talented of their number, Richard Wolin, with the provocative directness his readers have come to expect, argues that troubling residues remain not far beneath the surface of their influential work. Heidegger's Children is a book that many will seek to refute, but none can ignore.
— Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley

Michael Ermarth

This is an exceedingly important book that goes right to the core of debates about modernity and the human condition. It is both timely and enduringly important. It is also engrossing—provocative in some places, deeply insightful in others. More than a significant contribution to the field, it constitutes a new field in its own right. Wolin has defined a philosophical Pandora's box, and his interpretation is going to initiate some agonized soul-searching.
— Michael Ermarth, Dartmouth College

Editorial Reviews

"A thought-provoking and illuminating look at Heidegger's legacy. . . . Wolin's thesis grasps the profound and pervasive connection between Heidegger's thinking and the Holocaust itself."

Choice

Provocative and erudite. . . . [Wolin] provide[s] insightful portraits of the intellectual evolution of some of the last century's most ambitious political and social thinkers. His case against Heidegger's children sets a clear standard for those who wish to adopt an informed but cautious stance toward Heidegger's immense influence.—-James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review


Anyone tempted to introduce Heidegger into the conversation should read this fascinating study.—-Lesley Chamberlain, Independent

From the Publisher

An articulate and convincing account of the moral and political weaknesses of Heidegger's philosophy as well as highly informative studies of his influence on four of the twentieth century's most important philosophers.

Review of Metaphysics - Brian J. Fox

A provocative and erudite study of the affinities between Nazi sympathizer Martin Heidegger and his Jewish philosophy students. . . . [Wolin] provide[s] insightful portraits of the intellectual evolution of some of the last century's most ambitious political and social thinkers. . . . His case against Heidegger's children . . . sets a clear standard for those who wish to adopt an informed but cautious stance toward Heidegger's immense influence.

New York Times Book Review - James Ryerson

Anyone tempted to introduce Heidegger into the conversation should read this fascinating study.

The Independent - Lesley Chamberlain

The Heidegger Myth, a monolith carefully sculpted by Heidegger and his devotees, continues to fracture. The Myth: Heidegger's Nazism was a brief, anomalous, flirtatious lapse with no intrinsic connection to his philosophy. . . . Wolin's book contributes to understanding Heidegger's influence on his students but even more to our appreciation of the fissures in the Heidegger Myth.

Philosophy in Review - John P. Burke

The Heidegger Myth, a monolith carefully sculpted by Heidegger and his devotees, continues to fracture. The Myth: Heidegger's Nazism was a brief, anomalous, flirtatious lapse with no intrinsic connection to his philosophy. . . . Wolin's book contributes to understanding Heidegger's influence on his students but even more to our appreciation of the fissures in the Heidegger Myth.
— John P. Burke

Philosophy in Review

A provocative and erudite study of the affinities between Nazi sympathizer Martin Heidegger and his Jewish philosophy students. . . . [Wolin] provide[s] insightful portraits of the intellectual evolution of some of the last century's most ambitious political and social thinkers. . . . His case against Heidegger's children . . . sets a clear standard for those who wish to adopt an informed but cautious stance toward Heidegger's immense influence.
— James Ryerson

New York Times Book Review

An articulate and convincing account of the moral and political weaknesses of Heidegger's philosophy as well as highly informative studies of his influence on four of the twentieth century's most important philosophers.
— Brian J. Fox

Review of Metaphysics

Anyone tempted to introduce Heidegger into the conversation should read this fascinating study.
— Lesley Chamberlain

The Independent