Martin Heidegger (?)

"I appeal to the philosophers of all countries to unite and never again mention Heidegger or talk to another philosopher who defends Heidegger. This man was a devil. I mean, he behaved like a devil to his beloved teacher [Husserl], and he has a devilish influence on Germany."
- Karl Popper

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) is the German philosopher who founded existentialism. His writings are notoriously obscure (?). He did not believe his ideas could be properly understood in translation (?). 

He was against *idealism and for *realism. Against *Russell, he suggested founding arithmetic on everyday counting rather than logic. He argued that time for historians differs from that of physicists, being dependent on the age in which the time appears (?).

In his main book, Being and Time, he calls man Dasein and suggests that 'its essence lies in its always having its being to be, and having it as its own' (?).  

John Gray in Straw Dogs, criticizes the philosophy introduced in Heidegger's book Being and Time. In summary, this suggests:

• We are 'thrown' into a world which remains 'uncanny' to us.
• Whatever we do, we cannot escape guilt.
• We have no grounds for our choices, which are mysteriously at fault.

These are existential ideas derived from the Christian idea of original sin. They have just as much reality as the myths of Christianity, i.e. none. 

Heidegger, with Nazi backing, was appointed Rector of the University of Freiburg in 1933. He gave speeches in support of Hitler's policies. His philosophy had no intrinsic resources to prevent him from accepting National Socialism . He broke off relations with Jewish friends, students and colleagues, including his mentor Edmund Husserl. His Nazi involvement was not just cowardice and power worship, it gave him the peace that comes from no longer having to think. Hitler did the thinking for him.