Being There and Here: Heidegger and the Recent History of American Philosophy

The twentieth-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger despised all things American. But it was precisely in the United States where his thought resonated with a wide and surprisingly influential audience, from philosophers and theologians to architects and artists. This paper examines the reception of Heidegger's work on this side of the Atlantic and suggests, in the process, that traditional narratives of American philosophical exceptionalism must be revised in light of the enormous influence that figures like Heidegger have exerted on American thought from afar. By utilizing the tools and techniques of reception studies, historians of recent American philosophy will be better positioned to narrate the growing pluralism of academic philosophy in the United States during the era of globalization.