Heidegger said in his Nietzsche lectures (1936-1940)
Hölderlin und Nietzsche haben... ein Frageziechen vor der Aufgabe der Deutschen aufgerichtet, geschichtlich ihr Wesen zu finden. Werden wir dieses Zeichen verstehen? Eines ist gewiß: die Geschichte wird sich an uns rächen, wenn wir es nicht verstehen.
(Klett-Cota Aufgabe, 2008, Bd 1, S. 105)
(Holderlin and Nietzsche place a question mark at the task for the Germans to find their historical essence. Will we understand this mark? One thing is certain: if we do not understand it, history will take revenge on us).
This, of course, sounds incredibly ironic given the context in which it was said and the context in which it is read now. Of course, Heidegger himself was cognizant of this dissonance between the intent and meaning of these sentences caused by temporal refraction. He was, after all, reviewing the text for publication in 1961. Of course this is Heidegger and despite his patriotic fervor and embrace of Nazism, he remains… Heidegger. I wonder what some authors in Russia today are thinking selling their souls to the regime under the guise of patriotism. Do they deem themselves such Heideggers too, betting that their genius would outlive their shame?
