Overview

Martin Heidegger is considered to be one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, yet much of his philosophy is shrouded in confusion and controversy. His appalling and enthusiastic support for National Socialism poses some serious questions about Heidegger's thought in particular and philosophy in general. Was he, as many believe, the most profound thinker of the 20th century or was he a petty bourgeois from the province whose thought sprung from the Blut und Boden (blood and soil) of the humble origins of his conservative Catholic youth, or both?