Martin Heidegger and the question of being

We are still trying to understand Heidegger’s true importance in western philosophy

German philosopher Martin Heidegger (Alamy)

It was in the nature of 19th century German philosophers to tackle the big questions of God, time and being head on. Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) was one of the more successful.

A fallacy is an error of reasoning. Perhaps the most common one is the fallacy of argumentum ad hominem (argument to the man). An ad hominem is an argument directed not at the truth of a person’s premises or the quality of their reasoning, but at the person themselves. It nearly goes without saying that a perfect villain can produce a fine piece of argumentation. A thug can say something true. Pointing out that a person is a villain does nothing to undercut the truth of their conclusions. Let us try to keep this logic primer firmly in mind throughout this consideration of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. Some won’t find this easy.

Heidegger was born in a small village in the Black Forest region of Germany, the eldest of the two sons of Friedrich and Johanna Heidegger. He had a religious impulse and tried to become a Jesuit but was refused on the grounds of ill health. He took up the study of theology, physics, mathematics and philosophy at the University of Freiburg, where he came under the influence of the writings of Husserl. His studies were interrupted by the First World War and brief service in the army. He was discharged within a year despite swift promotion, again for health reasons. He earned his doctorate with a thesis on the relation between psychology and philosophy, eventually working as a lecturer in philosophy at Freiburg, receiving modest payment for teaching from tuition fees.