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This Book Is In German. ... Read more

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As a founding father of Existentialism, Karl Jaspers has been seen as a twentieth-century successor to Nietzsche and Kierkegaard; as an exponent of reason, he has been seen as an heir of Kant. But studies tracing influences upon his thought or placing him in the context of Existentialism have not dealt with Jaspers'sconcern with the political realm and how we think in it and about it. In this study Elisabeth Young-Bruehl explicates Jaspers's practical philosophizing, his search for ways in which we can orient ourselves toward our world and its political questions. ... Read more

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These letters, translated into English here for the first time, provide extraordinary insights, both personal and philosophical, into two major thinkers of the twentieth century.Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers met in 1920 at a celebration marking the sixty-first birthday of Edmund Husserl.Recognizing in each other a shared vision of what philosophy should be, they struck up a friendship, which continued through correspondence carried on over four decades and which weathered intellectual, social, and personal struggles.

While the first thirteen years of their acquaintance were marked by a collegial exchange of views on philosophical issues of mutual interest, their relationship changed significantly in 1933, when Heidegger publicly supported the National Socialist revolution, and, as a party member, implemented the National Socialist agenda as rector of Freiburg University.By contrast, Jaspers, whose wife was Jewish, was forced into retirement.After the war, during the Freiburg de-Nazification process, Jaspers sharply criticized Heidegger's conduct but nonetheless stressed the lasting value of his philosophical contributions.Despite this conflict, the two men continued to find common ground and correspnded until 1963.

The letters touch on many points of philosophical interest to both men, yet only hint at the political turmoil that swirled around them.They discuss how they came to see themselves as personally connected but publicly misidentified as "existentialists."There are also many illuminating exchanges concerning Hannah Arendt, Karl Lowith, Max Weber, Edmund Husserl, and others.Editors Walter Biemel and Hans Saner provide a wealth of references and annotations that make these personal letters accessible to contemporary readers.

This first English translation of the correspondence between two giants of twentieth-century German philosophy will be of great interest to philosophers, historians, and anyone intrigued by the Heidegger controversy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

They Were Giants Then
The history of 20th century German philosophy can be neatly summed up in three words: Husserl, Heidegger and Jaspers. They were the giants of the rich philosophical tradition and most of 20the century thought is influenced by them, either as followers who adapted their thought to other paths or as opponents, deriding what was seen as a preponderence of metaphysics over "clear thinking."

The emphasis on Heidegger in recent years has expanded into an investigation of his personal life, intertwined as it was with the Nazi regime during the '30s. We have access to the Arendt-Jaspers correspondence, but only get to know Heidegger second-hand. That is why the release of the Heidegger-Jaspers correspondence is a tresure for every student of philosophy. Not only do we gain valuable insights into the workings of each author's conception of existentialism, but we also get to soak in the atmosphere of German university life, and its view of scholarship, so different from our own universities today, which now serve as little else than extensions of high school.

The letters also give us the opportunity to see how the Heidegger-Japsers friendship fared over the years. (The letters are from 1920 to 1963.) During the '20s, the two are very close and share critiques of each others philosphy. During the '30s, with the rise of the Nazis, we see a cooling off due to the fact Heidegger sides with the Nazis and Jaspers, whose wife was Jewish,was appalled by what was happening to Germany. Very few letters are exchanged during the period from 1936 to 1948, when Heidegger, by now defanged by the Allied occupation, once again ventures into the public eye. The letters of this perios lack the warmth of the letters from the '20s, with Heidegger wishing to forget what happened in the '30s and Jaspers wanting an explanation.

This is an unforgettable foray into the livers anf thought of two giants of twentieth century philosophy, and, as such, is a must for every philosophical library. ... Read more

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Germany's foremost existentialist discusses the philosophy of purpose, the doctor/patient relationship, immortality, and the truth of religion. ... Read more

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"Mon intention dans ce livre: Le titre indique que cet ouvrage se trouve au centre de mon activité d'enseignant. Je me faisais de cette profession une idée différente de celle de mes collègues en ce temps, et je l'ai pratiquée autrement. En philosophie, il s'agit de la pensée qui porte la vie, qui éclaire et oriente l'action dans la vie personnelle et politique. La philosophie qui se présente comme une recherche scientifique, qui, postulant le progrès, expose ce qui serait transmissible tel quel en tant qu'acquis d'un entendement partout identique, n'a de valeur à mes yeux que si, contrairement au sens qu'elle se donne ou malgré lui, elle sert en fait cette autre philosophie, la vraie. Il ne s'agit pas, dans ce livre, d'exposer un système, même si la pensée y est systématique, ni de résoudre des problèmes, même si la pensée y procède par questions et réponses. Il ne s'agit pas davantage d'une oeuvre littéraire à vocation esthétique. Mon intention en écrivant cette "Philosophie" provient d'une idée qui s'imposa à moi un jour de mon enfance: que je ne pourrais vivre sans philosophie. ... de Postface (1955) à ma "Philosophie" (1931)#1 ... Read more

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"Mon intention dans ce livre: Le titre indique que cet ouvrage se trouve au centre de mon activité d'enseignant. Je me faisais de cette profession une idée différente de celle de mes collègues en ce temps, et je l'ai pratiquée autrement. En philosophie, il s'agit de la pensée qui porte la vie, qui éclaire et oriente l'action dans la vie personnelle et politique. La philosophie qui se présente comme une recherche scientifique, qui, postulant le progrès, expose ce qui serait transmissible tel quel en tant qu'acquis d'un entendement partout identique, n'a de valeur à mes yeux que si, contrairement au sens qu'elle se donne ou malgré lui, elle sert en fait cette autre philosophie, la vraie. Il ne s'agit pas, dans ce livre, d'exposer un système, même si la pensée y est systématique, ni de résoudre des problèmes, même si la pensée y procède par questions et réponses. Il ne s'agit pas davantage d'une oeuvre littéraire à vocation esthétique. Mon intention en écrivant cette "Philosophie" provient d'une idée qui s'imposa à moi un jour de mon enfance: que je ne pourrais vivre sans philosophie. ... de Postface (1955) à ma "Philosophie" (1931)#1 ... Read more

Product Description
This Book Is In German. ... Read more