ABSTRACT
Part I of this handbook looks at the founders of phenomenology and examines their politicization through the events of the Great War and the interwar period. In this environment, a philosophical approach that claims to go back to the ‘things themselves’ cannot remain untouched. Many phenomenologists defend a notion of community against society, which reflects their worries regarding an emerging mass society. They often combine this with an ethics of values and a theory of personalities of higher order or with an idea of historicity and the common fate of a people. This effectively resulted in two political positions: one of ethical community, which can range from a Catholic conservatism to a utopian anarchism and universalism, and one of a more historically conceived revolutionary community trying to ‘overcome’ modernity. To a great extent, dealing with the political heritage of early and classical phenomenology is no easy or comfortable task. This is especially true of explicit bellicose statements during the First World War and involvements with National Socialism and antisemitism. We would insist, however, that being aware of the history and context is the only way to come to a well-founded assessment of how philosophical concepts and political orientation hang together. More research needs to be done.
