On Heidegger

Günther Anders, who was still called Günther Stern, studied Philosophy in Freiburg in 1921-24 with Husserl and Heidegger. He played a special role in the circle of the early students, since he was the only one who finally removed himself entirely from academia. But his confrontation with Heidegger lasted for decades and still preoccupied him after his return to Vienna in 1950. The texts in this volume document this confrontation and describe how he slowly detached himself from Heidegger, the ”secret king” of German philosophy (Hannah Arendt). From 1930 on, Anders turned away from philosophy, and then regularly returned to it. In his time he sought political intervention. His work on Heidegger testifies to his critical aggressiveness, his stylistic rigour, and also his philosophical seriousness. Anders objections to Heidegger are more than superficial ideological criticism. There are also objections which encroach on the very essence of Heidegger's thought. Further, in Anders conflicts with Heidegger new approaches become apparent, differences which, for example, can be useful in the current debate concerning gene technology.