Back to Martin Heidegger’s Black Notebooks

ABSTRACT This article analyzes a number of personal and philosophical aspects of the debate over Heidegger’s Black Notebooks and his anti-Semitism. The first part of the article focuses on the personal features that influenced Heidegger’s social activities, as well as his statements on politics and culture. These features are then illustrated by examples of radical, stereotypical characterizations of “national essences” in the Black Notebooks. The final part of the article focuses on the role of the Black Notebooks in the context of Heidegger’s philosophical development, primarily the causes and consequences of his turn toward a new philosophy of Being. The contemporary debates on the Black Notebooks rightly point to the extreme biasedness of Heidegger’s statements formulated there, which is used as a justification for attempts to discredit his previous work and ideas. My core thesis is that while the views Heidegger expresses in the Black Notebooks undoubtedly deserve harsh criticism, they should not serve as a basis for contemporary scholars to reject the significance of Heidegger’s entire legacy.