Victor Farias
Encyclopedia
Victor Farías is a native Chile
an historian and author. A one-time student of Martin Heidegger
, he is perhaps best known for his controversial book Heidegger and Nazism
(1987), which concluded that Heidegger's philosophy is inherently fascist. His writings are informed by his philosophical education in Germany and a political commitment to the Chilean left. Farías viewpoint in his work is also conscious of Chile's involvement as a place of sanctuary and refuge to Nazis during and after the war. Farías has also garnered considerable controversy because of his allegations against Salvador Allende
and the Socialist Party of Chile
in general.
Farías was born in Santiago
in 1940. He graduated from the Catholic University of Chile in 1961 and continued his studies in Freiburg
, Germany
, where he obtained a doctorate in Philosophy. During his stay in Germany, Farías studied under such German thinkers as Martin Heidegger
, Rainer Marten, and Eugen Fink
. Farías returned to Chile in 1971 but fled back to Germany after the 1973 coup which deposed President Allende. Farías became an investigator and professor in the Free University of Berlin
, where he worked until 2006.
Upon its publication, Heidegger and Nazism, obtained international attention and was published in 14 countries. During this period Farías also published studies on Gabriel García Márquez
and Jorge Luis Borges
. Farías's publication of Salvador Allende: Antisemitism and Euthanasia (Salvador Allende: Antisemitismo y Eutanasia) made claims that Allende's graduation thesis expressed anti-Semitic views and supported Nazi Germany
's plans of sterilization of the mentally unfit. Farías' book, published in Chile, Spain, France, and Brazil, was heavily criticized by Allende's supporters, who published another book claiming to refute Farías' claims and accusations.
In 2006, Farías responded with Salvador Allende: The End of the Myth (Salvador Allende: El fin del mito), which debunked some of his critics, and published new documents detailing the Nazi connections to the Chilean Socialist Party in the 1930s. Farías also asserted that, based on documents from the East German archives he uncovered, there were many dealings and associations, political and otherwise, between the Soviet Union and Allende's Chile.
} Víctor Farías y su fobia contra Salvador Allende
} Las "pruebas" de Farías que no prueban nada from the Chilean publication La Nación
.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an historian and author. A one-time student of Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
, he is perhaps best known for his controversial book Heidegger and Nazism
Heidegger and Nazism
The relation between the philosopher Martin Heidegger and the Nazi Party is a controversial subject.Martin Heidegger joined the Nazi Party on May 1, 1933, nearly three weeks after being appointed Rector of the University of Freiburg. Heidegger resigned the Rectorship about one year later, in April...
(1987), which concluded that Heidegger's philosophy is inherently fascist. His writings are informed by his philosophical education in Germany and a political commitment to the Chilean left. Farías viewpoint in his work is also conscious of Chile's involvement as a place of sanctuary and refuge to Nazis during and after the war. Farías has also garnered considerable controversy because of his allegations against Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
and the Socialist Party of Chile
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
in general.
Farías was born in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
in 1940. He graduated from the Catholic University of Chile in 1961 and continued his studies in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he obtained a doctorate in Philosophy. During his stay in Germany, Farías studied under such German thinkers as Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
, Rainer Marten, and Eugen Fink
Eugen Fink
Eugen Fink was a German philosopher.-Biography:Fink was born in 1905 as the son of a government official in Germany. He spent his first school years with an uncle who was a catholic priest. Fink attended a gymnasium in Konstanz where he succeeded with his extraordinary memory...
. Farías returned to Chile in 1971 but fled back to Germany after the 1973 coup which deposed President Allende. Farías became an investigator and professor in the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
, where he worked until 2006.
Upon its publication, Heidegger and Nazism, obtained international attention and was published in 14 countries. During this period Farías also published studies on Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
and Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
. Farías's publication of Salvador Allende: Antisemitism and Euthanasia (Salvador Allende: Antisemitismo y Eutanasia) made claims that Allende's graduation thesis expressed anti-Semitic views and supported Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's plans of sterilization of the mentally unfit. Farías' book, published in Chile, Spain, France, and Brazil, was heavily criticized by Allende's supporters, who published another book claiming to refute Farías' claims and accusations.
In 2006, Farías responded with Salvador Allende: The End of the Myth (Salvador Allende: El fin del mito), which debunked some of his critics, and published new documents detailing the Nazi connections to the Chilean Socialist Party in the 1930s. Farías also asserted that, based on documents from the East German archives he uncovered, there were many dealings and associations, political and otherwise, between the Soviet Union and Allende's Chile.
Selected bibliography
Books in Spanish- Los manuscritos de Melquíades (1981)
- La estética de la agresión (1984)
- Heidegger y el Nazismo (1987)
- La izquierda chilena (1969–1973) (2001)
- Los Nazis en Chile (2003, two volumes)
- Salvador Allende: Antisemitismo y eutanasia (2005)
- Salvador Allende: El fin de un mito (2006)
External links
- A defence of Heidegger by Pierre JorisPierre JorisPierre Joris, born in Strasbourg, France in 1946 and raised in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, is a poet and translator. He left Luxembourg at nineteen and since then has lived in the US, Great Britain, North Africa and France...
- Julio Silva Solar:
} Víctor Farías y su fobia contra Salvador Allende
} Las "pruebas" de Farías que no prueban nada from the Chilean publication La Nación
La Nación (Chile)
La Nación is a Chilean newspaper created in 1917 by Eliodoro Yáñez and presided until 1927 by Carlos Dávila. It was a private company until 1927, when it was expropriated by president Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, and since then has remained a state property...
.