When did Martin Heidegger write Letter on Humanism?
Martin Heidegger wrote Letter on Humanism in December 1946, in response to a set of questions from Jean Beaufret.
Questions about Letter on Humanism
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who asked Martin Heidegger to write Letter on Humanism?
Jean Beaufret sent Heidegger a series of questions on the 10th of November 1946 about the development of French existentialism, and Letter on Humanism was Heidegger's reply.
When was Letter on Humanism published?
Heidegger reworked Letter on Humanism for publication in 1947, after first writing it as a private reply to Jean Beaufret in December 1946.
Which philosopher does Letter on Humanism respond to?
Letter on Humanism responds to Sartre's address Existentialism is a Humanism, and in it Heidegger distances himself from Sartre's position and from existentialism in general.
What distinction does Letter on Humanism make between types of being?
Letter on Humanism distinguishes between being-in-itself and being-for-itself, modes of being Heidegger uses to try to ground his concept of freedom ontologically.
How does Letter on Humanism criticize Sartre's claim that existence precedes essence?
Letter on Humanism argues that Sartre's reversal of the older claim, that essence precedes existence, is still a metaphysical statement. Heidegger writes that this leaves Sartre in oblivion of the truth of Being.