Why did Martin Heidegger refuse to publicly disavow his Nazi past?

Martin Heidegger never publicly disavowed his involvement with the Nazi Party, despite repeated requests from associates to do so. Instead of offering an apology or renunciation, he defended his actions by citing a maxim from the French poet Paul Valéry: “He who thinks greatly must err greatly.”1

Heidegger’s refusal to condemn his past was consistent with his retrospective stance on the regime. In his 1953 book Introduction to Metaphysics, he famously praised what he termed “the inner truth and greatness of National Socialism.”1

While some scholars have argued that his philosophy was distinct from his political actions, others contend that his work—specifically his critique of modern society and his emphasis on the German Volk—provided a framework that allowed him to view the Nazi revolution as a necessary deliverance. The posthumous publication of his “black notebooks” further complicated his legacy, as these private reflections contained overtly antisemitic passages, leading many to conclude that his racist views were deeply intertwined with his philosophical thought.12